Porridge is the new breakfast of choice. With the opening of the world's first porridge bar in Edinburgh, the demand for a hearty way to start the day has never been greater. Spurred on by a nation obsessed with GI superfoods and the gospel according to Gillian McKeith, porridge has pride of place on the breakfast table. Britons scoff more than 47 million gallons of porridge every year, plumping up the oat industry's turnover of about £79m.
Oats have been grown in Scotland for centuries. Neolithic man stewed grains in water, the Romans ate the oaty stuff, and in the 18th century, recipes for the grim-sounding "water gruel" were published.
Nowadays, purists agree that for the best porridge, oats should be soaked and cooked with a mixture of water and milk, and advocate a pinch of salt just before it's served. Milk, if added, should form a moat, and adding sugar is apparently a crime.
In the past, porridge was seen mainly as food for the poor. Huge quantities were cooked and allowed to cool in a porridge drawer. Later it would be sliced and eaten cold, or reconstituted, making it a popular early convenience food.
Porridge is shrouded in ancient custom and superstition: it should be eaten standing up, it should be stirred only with a stick, and in a clockwise direction using the right hand so as not to invoke the devil. Demons aside, porridge is full of healthy benefits and goodness. In 1998, the oldest man in the UK declared that his 109 years on the earth could be attributed to his daily bowl. Porridge's complex carbohydrates also help to boost energy and raise blood-sugar levels, and it's been suggested that it can even help reduce nicotine cravings.
Places to eat porridge:
- Stoat's Porridge Bar in Edinburgh claims to be the world's first porridge bar. Check out www.stoatsporridgebars.co.uk.
- The Pines country guesthouse in Duthil, Carrbridge, Inverness-shire, is home to the 2005 World Champion Porridge Maker, Lynn Benge. Call 01479 841220 to book.
- Boisdale of Bishopsgate serves porridge-based cranachan, a sumptuous Scottish dessert of raspberries, whisky, toasted oats and cream. Call 020 7283 1763.