Alex Hely-Hutchinson, the founder of 26 Grains, describes porridge as \u201ccomfort in a bowl\u201d. Part of its appeal, she says, is that it allows a \u201cmoment for pause in a busy world\u201d \u2013 plus most people know how to make it.<\/p>\n
\u2018Wee porridge\u2019 with hazelnut praline brittle and a poached pear at Cafe Cuil on the Isle of Skye. Photograph: PR Handout<\/p>\n
It is a trend that is affecting home store cupboards. Searches for organic jumbo oats at Ocado are up 98% year on year while sales of White\u2019s jumbo oats are up 56%.<\/p>\n
Hedi\u00e9 Rhodes, the founder of the UK\u2019s first dedicated cereals bakery, Husk & Honey<\/a> in south London, describes the \u201cpersonalisation aspect\u201d of porridge as an instigator of the trend. Her brand, which began in 2015 specialising in granola, now also sells dedicated porridge blends. Bestsellers include cinnamon bark and cranberry and a spiced apple version.<\/p>\n \u201cPorridge is a great carrier for a lot of nice things,\u201d Rhodes says. \u201cYou can make a big pan of it and everyone in the family can still have a different style. Some might want it just with honey, others might want to add really fancy toppings.\u201d<\/p>\n Alex Hayes, a co-founder of the food innovation studio Harris and Hayes, compares porridge to salads and smoothies. \u201cIt\u2019s a great canvas for adding specific toppings that suit specific taste and nutritional needs,\u201d she says, pointing to nut butters alongside more functional additions such as psyllium husk<\/a>.<\/p>\n Five-grain porridge with banana, tahini, honey, cinnamon, sesame and cacao nibs at 26 Grains. Photograph: 26 Grains<\/p>\n While protein mania isn\u2019t slowing down, the online nutrition trend of \u201cfibremaxxing<\/a>\u201d is encouraging more people to up their fibre intake. The NHS recommends adults should eat 30g of fibre a day, but according to the British Dietetic Association<\/a> the average intake is only 18g. Oats are a source of the soluble fibre that is essential for gut health and can also help reduce cholesterol levels. So rather than eating protein-rich eggs for breakfast, many people are now reverting to a bowl of porridge.<\/p>\n On the menu at Caf\u00e9 C\u00f9il<\/a> on the Isle of Skye you\u2019ll find a \u201cwee porridge\u201d featuring pinhead oats that are soaked in oat milk overnight. Its founder, the chef and writer Clare Coghill, then finishes it with seasonal toppings. At the moment it\u2019s a hazelnut praline brittle and poached pears.<\/p>\n Coghill, who recently tasted 86 bowls of porridge in her role on the judging panel of the world porridge-making championship<\/a> that takes place in the Scottish Highlands each year, says \u201cporridge purists\u201d prefer to use coarser pinhead oats, also known as steel-cut oats, rather than rolled oats which are softer. \u201cPinhead were the original oats, so it\u2019s a way of celebrating Scottish heritage,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Hely-Hutchinson opts for a mixture including jumbo oats and rolled oats for \u201ccreaminess\u201d, along with rye, barley and malted wheat for added texture and \u201ca slight fermented note\u201d. Other recipes have ditched the oats altogether for rice, amaranth or quinoa.<\/p>\n
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