• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Porridge lady

May 31, 2009 11 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

anna porridge lady at the underground restaurant
anna porridge lady at the underground restaurant
anna porridge lady at the underground restaurant
One of the best things about having Anna Porridgelady do ‘front of house’ for me is that, because she lives far away, she stayed the night and therefore, in the morning, she cooked us porridge. I felt privileged: Anna is a finalist in The World Porridge Making Championships, also known as The Golden Spurtle (a kind of porridge stirring stick).

She used the Rude Health oats ‘fruity date’ that I got for free at The Real Food festival. She considered the packet with an expert eye:

“Yeees, this is a mix of large and small oats, some rolled and some chopped”.

“What does that mean?” 

 I asked, sensing that I was about to get a wealth of insider porridge info.

“It’s quicker to cook” she said briskly measuring out a large cup of oats “Use half water and half milk” 

“What is the secret of good porridge?” I delved.

“Keep stirring. People tend to wander off and leave it. Ooh I’ve never cooked porridge on an Aga before!” she exclaimed.

“How often do you eat porridge?”

“Every morning. When I was doing alot of running I used to eat a bowl in the afternoon as well. It’s particularly good with kippers and spinach, all those traditional Scottish recipes” she continued.

“In Japan they eat seaweed and oatmeal. Many cultures have porridges. In Russia Kasha porridge, buckwheat, is very popular, especially with mushrooms. Quinoa (pronounced [keenwa] is a kind of porridge.”

“In Thailand they have congee for breakfast, a rice porridge” I remember.

Anna Porridgelady has finished the porridge and dishes it into bowls. 

“I like to put a little milk on top”

“I hate cleaning the pan afterwards” I complain.

“The trick is to give it a quick rinse as soon as possible so it doesn’t stick” Anna says, rinsing.

At The Golden Spurtle, a competition which has been running for 15 years, the top Scottish hotels send their chefs to compete. They all want that title. 

“But it’s very tongue in cheek, humorous” says Anna”and it attracts the tourists”

Last year there were three competitors from England, one from Canada and the rest were from Scotland.

This Rude Health porridge is flavoured with cinnamon, apples, dates and apricots. It doesn’t need any sugar or, my childhood favourite, Golden syrup.

“Cinnamon is good for controlling blood sugar” explains Anna”They call it the diabetic sugar. Cinnamon is naturally sweet but has no hypoglycemic index”.

During the competition, Anna got quite nervous, almost hyperventilating at the start. The contestants get half an hour to make two types of porridge: one a speciality, the other using only the traditional Scottish method of water, salt and oats. It’s a version of Masterchef, but the only dish is porridge.
Anna spent months foraging in Berkshire for the ingredients in preparation for her speciality porridge; scrumping Bramley and Discovery apples for different purées, making crab apple jelly and rosehip sauce as a side syrup.

“The guy that won it, Ian, his porridge was stunning”enthused Anna.

“What was his speciality?” I asked

“He didn’t do one. He just did the traditional recipe.”.

“Er, how different can different porridges be?” I put the question.

“A winning porridge has colour, texture, flavour.”explained Anna. “The texture should be gloopy but rough at the same time. This one had a mix of colours, yellows and browns. He used salt as a flavouring. It didn’t taste salty. The salt merely enhanced the intrinsic taste of the oatmeal. Another woman did one from very fine oats which was more like a grey gravy. There are also pinhead oats which are really coarse, hardly refined at all, tasting nutty. One contestant made that version and barely got it finished in the half hour allotted.”

I resolved to eat more porridge.
For any porridge related issues, questions, projects contact Anna on Twitter…@porridgelady.
porridge
porridge

Recent posts

Discovering fairytale Saxony in Germany

January 25, 2023

Fake meat taste test for Veganuary

January 8, 2023

A round-up of my favourite travel destinations of 2022

January 1, 2023

Previous Post: « The Guardian canteen
Next Post: Love it or hate it: Marmite at The Underground Restaurant »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Josordoni

    May 31, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    I love porridge. I make mine half&half skimmed milk and water, and use organic rolled oats – not the jumbo ones, I don't like the texture. a pinch of salt in the cooking, and demerara and muscovado sugar mixed together sprinkled on afterwards. No extra milk.

    And I, philistine that I am, cook it in the microwave. It is one of the very few things I cook from scratch in the microwave, usually I just reheat or defrost, but I find I really like the flavour of porridge made that way. You need a HUGE bowl and an eagle eye though- it rises up alarmingly, and cleaning the lava flow of boiled over porridge is not something I would recommend….

    Lynne

    Reply
  2. Lennie Nash

    May 31, 2009 at 11:24 pm

    Didn't know there was so much to porridge. Hate the microwave version, and think it's much better on a stove.

    A friend of mine mixes it up in a dish the night before and leaves it at the bottom of the Aga, and then it's ready in the morning and has this sort of crusty skin that's delicious.

    When I was a kid I used to have a bowl of uncooked oats with milk and sugar – that was good too.

    It's also great for shedding the pounds. Alright, it's never going to replace a nice bacon buttie, or scrambled egg on Marmite toast, but I feel better after eating the porridge.

    Lennie

    Reply
  3. Scarlett the Heavenly Healer

    May 31, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Oh I love porridge too. It's my winter 'healthy' breakfast made with soya milk, then half a cup of overnight-soaked seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, linseed…)added after cooking and a little honey on top.

    I had kasha in Russia years ago where they served it with a knob of butter on top which melted into the porridge – delicious.

    Reply
  4. Josordoni

    June 1, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    Lennie, when you say “microwave version” do you mean real porridge, just made in the microwave rather than on the hob, or do you mean the instant packeted microwave stuff?

    Because if so I soooo agree with you, it is just pap, like Reddibrek. But I have made my own porridge both ways, on the stove and in the micro, following the same proportions etc both times, and whilst there is a slight difference to my tastebuds (and I do agree the pan made is a bit more solid and toasty, although I love the micro one too) the main and indisputable benefit is that I don’t have a pan to clean up.

    I suppose if we are aiming for fast food, it has to be better than a sachet of readymade pap, don’t you think?

    Reply
  5. JohnnyFox

    June 1, 2009 at 1:03 pm

    Anna will probably beat me with her golden spurtle, but my favourite Porridge recipe is to make it (by pan or microwave with water and salt) dish it up in bowls, top each serving with demerara sugar and a half-capful of Irish whiskey, pop it under the grill until the whiskey catches fire and douse the flames with double cream.

    This has been a traditional Christmas morning filler which seems to do everyone till turkey time, although it’s surprising how often Christmas seems to come round in my house …

    Reply
  6. Kavey

    June 1, 2009 at 8:59 pm

    I was sent a spurtlen as a gift from a Scottish friend a few years ago – had to look up what it was for!

    I do enjoy porridge but seldom make it myself.

    Had no idea it was such an art or that they was such variation in the oats.

    Reply
  7. Some Chilean Woman

    June 2, 2009 at 8:15 am

    I used to be content with the crappy microwavable stuff, then I met me a Scotsman, now my husband…he has introduced me to a mean bowl of porridge and I won’t go back to the old stuff ever again.

    Reply
  8. Josordoni

    June 2, 2009 at 5:11 pm

    Johnnyfox, that is SUCH a brilliant idea. Flambed porridge. I wonder, with an orange liqueur, Porridge Suzette?

    I am now also wondering if porridge brulee would be good…

    and why, when you write it too many times, does the word porridge look so strange???

    Reply
  9. The Curious Cat

    June 3, 2009 at 9:08 am

    Wow, I never realised Porrige could be so complex – it is cool to learn all about it – how come she was visiting? Did her porridge taste great? xxx

    Reply
  10. MsMarmitelover

    June 3, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    Johnny: that recipe sounds gorgeous…

    Reply
  11. Ed Thompson

    June 4, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    My particular advice for porridge improvement is as follows. Add a small pinch of salt mid-way through your cooking process. Add Sainsbury's frozen fruit (currently on offer – 3 bags for £5 with a choice of black forest, summer fruit and straight blueberries) into the porridge as you serve it – the frozenness of the fruit with the heat of the porridge and the runny colours are just perfect! We're hoping to feature your friends from the Salad Club on http://www.ooh.com/blog in the near future!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuv Naples at Christmas- discovering piennolo di vesuvio,the Christmas 🍅, which lasts up to a year fresh. It’s given boxed as gifts around Christmas being the only local fresh tomato available. It dresses all the Christmas pizzas and pastas. It’s grown on volcanic Vesuvius soil and sparsely watered. As a result it has thick skins, and a sweet intense flavour. #tomatoes #italy #naples
Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick laye Not cooking much at the moment due to a thick layer of dust over my kitchen. This will be my dining room/photography studio. Done on a whim.#unplanneddemolition
Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a n Another picture of my granddaughter Ophelia in a nest of apricot tulle (found at portobello market). Isn’t she lovely? #granfluencer
Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is defin Broccoli Stilton soup. This freezing week is definitely a week for soups. My friend @jimfrommanc is staying & needs his hot lunch.
Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Ven Cheese on toast with crushed chilli 🌶️ in Venice the fresh food market sells bouquets of colourful chillies. I’ve still got mine, drying in an enamel jug. #travelandfood
The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read The Christmas tomato or piennolo di vesuvio. Read all about it: https://msmarmitelover.com/2022/12/christmas-in-naples.html  Got a couple of bunches hanging in my kitchen. #naples #campania #tomatoes🍅 #travelphotography
Opheliagram. This morning I photographed her in an Opheliagram. This morning I photographed her in an Italian outfit I bought in Naples on a William Morris playmat which looks great and is practical for tummy time. So many things are different about parenting now. Parents use apps to track feeding, pooing, weeing etc. You don’t bathe them anymore for the first few weeks because you want to leave the vernix ( the white waxy stuff they are covered in at birth) on their skin as long as possible. Nappies now have a line on them that turns blue if they’ve done a pee. White noise apps to help them sleep. New technology guides new parents. As well as ancient probably prehistoric customs being rediscovered. #granfluencer #grandaughter I’ve tagged in @siennamarla and @jamescalmus as the authors of this baby.
I made two dishes from one pack of white beans las I made two dishes from one pack of white beans last night. Soak, then cook with 2 stock cubes, water & a fan of bay leaves. When soft & cooked, scoop some into a soup bowl with plenty of stock, add white wine, fresh basil and or a scoop of pesto and a squeeze of lemon for soupe au pistou. Garnish with Parmesan. Today I cooked the pot until the liquid had almost disappeared and added a block of feta. I baked this in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, added @pomoragoodfood new olive oil, salt and pepper for a gigantes plaki (but with smaller beans). Eat more beans!
What to make when you have lots of leftover egg yo What to make when you have lots of leftover egg yolks after making a pavlova? Zabaglione, that classic Italian trattoria dessert made from egg yolks, sugar & tons of masala sweet wine. Whisk it up over a bain-marie or be a bit cheaty & add a teaspoon of cornflour. Strong wrists needed. #italianfood #christmasdesserts #leftovers #cooksmart
The unpackaged vegan meats. My panel of 4 ( from c The unpackaged vegan meats. My panel of 4 ( from carnivore, to recent vegetarian, to long-time vegetarian to never eaten meat (my daughter)) tasted 18. It was quite a bushtucker trial. Carnivores & vegetarians liked very different things. Full report in next weeks @hamandhigh #veganuary #vegan #vegetarian #tastetest #fakemeat #plantbasedmeat
Fake meatathon tasting taking place as my veganuar Fake meatathon tasting taking place as my veganuary column for @hamandhigh So many companies doing this now. As a longtime vegetarian I don’t want anything that tastes too much like meat. But new vegetarians and vegans may want something that tastes close as damnit to meat in order to stave off cravings? Which category are you in? Have you any favourites or dislikes? Is this just another example of ultra-processed food? Let me know in the comments #vegan #vegetarian #meatfree #veganuary
Pasta buselli al cedro. Cedro or citron is a fragr Pasta buselli al cedro. Cedro or citron is a fragrant citrus & one of the founding citrus (along with pomelo and mandarin) that created all the other citrus fruits you know about. Usually candied, it is also used in this unusual neopolitan recipe in which you soak the zest in the pasta water overnight before cooking. Post up on the blog later today. Board a Xmas present from @siennamarla #pasta #naples #cedro #citrus
My london garden ce matin My london garden ce matin
My Sacher Torte (1 word or 2?) with a difference- My Sacher Torte (1 word or 2?) with a difference- bergamot marmalade in the middle. In the @hamandhigh this week. It’s bloody delicious. #chocolatecake #feelaustria #untoldstories #vienna #sachertorte
These are Mela Annurca apples, ‘mel’anurca’ These are Mela Annurca apples, ‘mel’anurca’ in Neapolitan dialect. They are a Christmas apple, in season now. I bought this little model basket of apples in San Gregorio di Armenia street in Naples where every year neopolitans buy something to add to their ‘presepe’ or nativity scene. Often scenes from markets to add to the expensive, anything from 500 euros to 5000 euros nativity crèches. Around Christmas this street is packed (watch out for pickpockets) with locals and tourist picking out their addition to the scene. Melanurca apples are picked in September then laid on the ground to ripen, turning them every day by hand, to ensure all sides transform from a yellow green into a Wicked Witch red. They are very healthy, particularly for your hair, according to scientists at the university of Naples. #naples #neopolitanchristmas #melanurca  #food #travel #sangregorioarmeno #presepenapoletano #nativityscenes
The Christmas tomato 🍅 or piennolo di vesuvio, The Christmas tomato 🍅 or piennolo di vesuvio, a local tomato that is sold around Christmas in Naples. It is grown with very little irrigation and lasts fresh up to a year. Hence it is used for tomato based Christmas dishes. This tomato has a thick skin and is really intense in flavour. It hangs outside grocers, on balconies, in kitchens, having been braided by ladies into bunches of 1.5 kilos. Each costs 15 euros. I went to visit the farmers and the ladies skilfully tying the tomatoes into clusters, using the vines to fasten them, like cherries. Boxed, these are given as gifts. Reel on the way! #naples #christmas #tomatoes #travel #food
Travel: how I pack. I choose one colour as well as Travel: how I pack. I choose one colour as well as black and white and stick to that palette. For Sicily & Naples I’m doing red, white & black. I’ve bought @coti_vision red glasses chain, a red beret & a black one, a pair of red @snagtights & a black pair, a red hair clasp, a red & white pair of shoes (25 euros, leather from Naples), a red & white dress, a black & white striped dress, and so on. Do you roll? Do you flatten & spread? Do you fold? How do you pack? A few days before I leave I leave my suitcase open in my bedroom and every time I think of something I need to take I sling it in there. ( like adaptors) Last thing is wash bag ( I have a hanging one which is useful) and coat (red for this trip). Basically I colour code my life. When I did the Camino everything was blue & yellow, the colours of the Camino. When I went to Ireland I took all my green clothes ( I don’t have many). If I go on a boat trip I pack blue and white. #packing #colourcoding #travel #mysuitcase
Ruota di pesce spada. A glorious oven baked Sicili Ruota di pesce spada. A glorious oven baked Sicilian fish dish, baked on onions, studded with garlic cloves wrapped in mint leaves, then more onions, capers, olives, oregano & rosemary. Use a thick central slice of swordfish (where can I get that in london?). I’m tasting grillo & Nero d’avola wines @tenutorapitala about an hour inland from Palermo. The owner is the last count Bernard de La gatinais. He has 3 daughters. He’s French (Brittany) and Sicilian. He spoke about how difficult it has been for wine growers since lockdown- so many restaurants closed. Now they are grappling with high energy & fuel costs. ##winesofsicilia #siciliaDOC #wine #travel #sicily
I love Venice. I love Maneskin. I love Italy. I lo I love Venice. I love Maneskin. I love Italy. I love boats and water. #biennalearte2022
London cure smoked salmon from @formanandfield wit London cure smoked salmon from @formanandfield with mikawa citrus (cross between mandarin & pomelo) and home pickled green peppercorns on a plate I bought in minori Italy. #londonfood #citrus #sundaylunch
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover