After an early run this morning I wanted something filling and warming following the cold outdoors – this porridge does the trick every time! I often find that cereal or toast never fills me up for long, even if I pile on fruit and nuts my stomach is rumbling soon after 11am. Never with porridge – it always fills me up! Whilst I will have it all year round, there is nothing better than warm porridge on frosty winter mornings and there are plenty of different things you can add to mix it up each day! So here’s my recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups of porridge oats
• 3 cups of almond milk
• 1 banana (sliced into rounds or chunks)
• handful of almonds
• good drizzle of agave syrup

n.b. I particularly like the taste of almond milk with my porridge but any non-dairy variety is fine. You can also substitute one cup of water for one of the cups of milk if you want a slightly less creamy porridge.

METHOD:

1. Put the porridge oats and milk in a pan and turn up the heat to full just for a minute. Then lower to a mid heat for about 4 mins. Stir regularly and lower the heat if it starts bubbling. Add some more milk if it gets too thick.
2. When the porridge is a nice creamy consistency (when it is slowly falls from your spoon, if it pours it is not done – if it falls off in lumps it is overdone), take it off the heat and spoon it into your bowl.
3. Scatter the banana and almonds on top and drizzle a generous amount of agave syrup and there you go – all done!

VARIATIONS:

• Add blueberries, strawberries and raspberries to add a sharp or sweet taste to your porridge
• Add chunks of apple for a really sweet flavour and a dusting of cinnamon to add a bit of spice in the depths of winter.
• You can used flaked almonds for a very pretty finish, or add a dollop of peanut butter which you can also stir into the porridge whilst it’s cooking if you really love it.
• You can use other syrups such as maple if you prefer, or chocolate sauce if you’re feeling very indulgent.

Try this for a healthy, filling and tasty breakfast this winter!

Lots of love,

Sunny Kitty