In 1755, Samuel Johnson famously defined oats in his Dictionary as: “A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” The old curmudgeon would surely be surprised to see the same grain embraced today by celebrity chefs.

So, out goes Oliver Twist and his bowl of gruel. In comes gourmet, comfort food.

Get fruity
You can cook it with a grated apple, and serve with toasted nuts and honey; or with a dollop of raspberry preserve; or fresh berries in season; or, for a Sunday special; drizzle with a little whiskey, cream, almonds and honey.

No, we’re not talking puddings, we’re talking porridge. It has recently been rediscovered as the best way to start the day – but, don’t just take my word for it: food alchemist Heston Blumenthal eats his with blueberries (www.allaboutyou.com/food/Heston-Blumenthal-chef-interview/v1).

Best of all, this is not just the tastiest way to start the day, it is also the healthiest, cheapest and greenest.

Days of yore
In the old days, we ate porridge because that was all there was. (Remember when Alpen arrived on the Irish scene and when Shredded Wheat was the height of breakfast cereal sophistication?)

Back then, there were just two ways to serve porridge: with salt or with sugar. Now that we’ve discovered how to be creative, there are more ways to eat porridge than days of the week.

It can be cooked with raisins and served with toasted seeds and honey; or with chopped dates and walnuts; or apricots and almonds; or slices of banana and a little brown sugar. The list is endless. The only limitation is your imagination.

Handy and healthy
Eating porridge with fruit and nuts makes it a handy way to get the first of your ‘five a day’. However, there are other good health reasons for choosing the Goldilocks way to start the day.

Oats are rich in cholesterol-busting compounds called beta-glucans, as well as antioxidants. These help to lower cholesterol and to lower blood pressure.

Moreover, oats do not contain gluten, which means they are suitable for people with coeliac disorder, an important consideration given the high incidence of coeliac disease among the Irish.

Porridge is more filling than other breakfast cereals, so you are less likely to want a snack afterwards, making it a useful part of a healthy diet. With no added salt or sugar, unlike other breakfast cereals, you get to control your intake.

Green credentials
Significantly, oats are also a native crop, grown locally and needing little processing. This means they are low in food miles and have a small carbon footprint, plus you are supporting local farmers.

An important consideration these days is that oats are significantly cheaper than other breakfast cereals, costing just over €2 for 1.5kg. That’s nearly three times cheaper than a comparable muesli – and that’s not counting the fact that 1.5kg of oats will last much longer than 1.5kg of muesli. So you save bundles and there’s less packaging.

What are you waiting for?

Basic recipe (one serving)
Soak a half-cup of oats with a half-cup of water overnight.
Add a half-cup of milk or water before cooking.
Microwave at medium for two minutes (or for three minutes if you forget to soak the oats), stirring halfway.

In summer
Soak the oats in apple or orange juice and serve raw with yoghurt and fresh fruit.