Childhood Memories

When I was a little girl I went to stay the night at a friend's house. When we got up in the morning her mother made us porridge for breakfast. It would have been made with full-cream milk (in those days we had milk delivered in glass bottles and there were only three kinds to choose from: 'silver top', with a clot of cream at the top of the bottle and the milk underneath, which usually resulted in arguments over who got the cream; 'homogenised', where the milk and cream were mixed together; and, in a much smaller bottle, fresh cream). I also remember the porridge tasting slightly salty, so I think she would have made it in the Scottish style, adding salt to the oats and milk before cooking. When we sat down to breakfast she gave us fresh cream to pour over our bowls of porridge, and brown sugar to sprinkle on top. Heaven!

Over the years I've eaten porridge in many ways: made with water; half milk/half water; with egg whites added while cooking; with banana/raisins added while cooking; with protein powder added after cooking; with nut butter mixed in after cooking; with nuts on top; with fruit on top; with flax oil drizzled over; with sugar-free maple syrup on top... but my favourite way to eat oats has always been the way I had it when I was little - made with salt and milk and eaten with brown sugar (and cream if there's any in the house after a special occasion).

Here's how I had it this morning:
Place 1/2 cup quick cooking oats in a large microwave-proof bowl with 1 cup milk (I used lactose-free) and a sprinkle of salt. Cook on 'high' for approx 5 minutes (stir every couple of minutes), or until the oats are thick and creamy. Top with a little cold milk and 1 tsp brown sugar. Have happy thoughts.