Summer Porridge

Now that the sun is shining and the days are getting longer and warmer it’s the perfect time for Summer Porridge!

All through the winter we’ve enjoyed a bowl of hot steaming porridge for breakfast but as summer arrives it doesn’t feel right to be eating hot porridge in the morning.

We made Summer Porridge last year and loved it so I decided to make some again this week.

Summer porridge is best made in advance and lasts two to three days in the fridge (it actually gets better as the days go on!) You can either make it in a big tub and then decant to breakfast bowls each day or alternatively if you have little Kilner Jars with spring lids you can make individual portions – perfect to grab and go in the mornings.

I thought I would share the recipe (the first one in our online recipe folder) as it makes a really healthy and nutritious breakfast option for the summer.

We tend to use soya milk and yoghurt to make a dairy free version but you can use whatever you fancy. Full fat milk and Greek yoghurt make for a deliciously creamy but no so healthy mix.

What you need:

Approx 225g of old fashioned Scottish rolled porridge oats

Approx 330ml of milk

Approx 240ml of yoghurt

4 teaspoons of mixed seeds including chia seeds

Handful of pumpkin seeds

1 grated apple

Handful of raspberries

Handful of strawberries

Handful of blueberries

This makes about 4-6 good sized portions.

Method:

(1) Add the porridge oats, milk and yoghurt to a medium sized tupperware box .

(2) Sprinkle the mixed seeds and pumpkin seeds on top

(3) Add the grated apple and all the other soft fruits. I tend to break up some of the fruits to allow the flavours to really mix in while also leaving some good sized chunky bits throughout the mixture.

(4) Put the lid on the box and make sure it’s securely fastened.

(5) Shake the box vigorously to mix all the ingredients together.

(6) Put it in the fridge and wait until next morning

(7) When you serve the porridge you can add extra berries or seeds to the top if you fancy.

(8) PS. Don’t heat it up – the porridge is eaten cold!

The recipe is totally flexible so you can add any ingredients you fancy. Other things you could try are banana, cinnamon, jam, honey, peanut butter…whisky…. the opportunities are endless.

This recipe includes Chia seeds which are a relatively new ingredient for us to be using. Chia seeds appear to have lots of health benefits so it’s worth adding them into the mix if you can:

(1) They are the richest source of non-marine Omega 3

(2) High in protein

(3) They absorb 10 times their weight in water so great for hydration and helping you feel full longer

(4) The have Calcium, Potassium, Vitamin D and other antioxidants

(5) They have a neutral flavour so they will take on the flavours of the fruits in the porridge.

(6) They are quite expensive but we found a tub of mixed seeds with Chia added in Tesco fruit and veg aisle for just over £2.

If you decide to make Summer Porridge we hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave a wee comment below to let us know what your favourite flavour combinations are.