Porridge
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Porridge is an originally Scottish food which is popular throughout Britain. It is basically crushed oats1, mixed with milk and/or water and boiled to produce a thick sludge. A variety of toppings can be applied;
the Scottish traditionally like nothing but salt, which is an acquired taste. Most people sprinkle sugar on top, or add extra milk.
Porridge is a traditional breakfast dish, which can confuse visiting foreigners, who tend to view it as a strange English pudding and consume it at the end of the meal out of politeness.
Porridge is however best eaten at the start of the meal. Porridge oats can also be used to make biscuits and a variety of baked foods.
Quick porridge
Allow 50 grams of oats per person. Put oats and milk (and/or water) in a non-stick saucepan; two parts liquid to one part oats. Boil for five minutes, stirring frequently.
Read on for more details.
How to cook the perfect porridge
Buy some decent Scottish oats, and some full cream milk. The amount of porridge cooked depends on the number of people to be fed, but the more the better, to stop it drying up. About 50 grams (2 oz) per person is adequate. Put this in a non-stick saucepan if cooking on a cooker top, or a non-stick cake tin if cooking in an oven. It is vitally important that you use a non-stick pan. This will become apparent when you wash up: porridge will weld itself
like concrete to a steel pan, but will slide off a non-stick pan with a simple rinse.
Add two parts milk to one part oats. Porridge can be boiled for as little as five minutes on the top of a cooker, but to get the best taste porridge can be done in the bottom of a very low oven for a long time; overnight is fine. This takes some practice but is
worthwhile.
When ready, pour the porridge into preheated pudding bowls. Make sure the porridge is very hot as it is not nice when lukewarm or cold. When the pan is empty fill it with water and leave to stand, this makes washing up considerably easier. Surround the porridge with extra milk and sprinkle demarerra sugar2 on top. If you are new to porridge more sugar will be needed than you think; but you can always add more milk and sugar as you eat it. Eat (with a spoon) while hot, with the drink of your choice. (Make sure this does not spoil the taste; cold milk is recommended)
When you have finished your porridge, continue with the rest of your English breakfast (cold cereal, boiled eggs, toast & butter & marmalade, fried eggs, hash browns, scrambled eggs, bacon, poached eggs, black pudding, coffee, orange juice) ... none of that 'continental' rubbish!