Assistant Manager and volunteer at Get Loose Foods, Justine, discusses the recipe, cost and nutritional breakdown of her favourite breakfast. The majority of items can be purchased without packaging at Get Loose. She also blogs as Little Green Duckie on a wide range of sustainability issues. This post has been adapted from her site.

Porridge is my go to breakfast all year round. I mix it up with seasonal fruit, have it hot, or cold, depending on the weather and what I am doing.

My basic mix ideas

Jumbo oats
Dried fruit: sultanas, sour cherries, cranberries
Seeds: pumpkin, chia, sesame, linseeds
Nuts: walnuts, cashews, pecan
Honey
Liquid: I use water, dairy milk, or plant milk if I have any.
Fruit: in winter I stew cooking apples or rhubarb in a batch (keeps in the fridge in a tub) and add a couple of spoonfuls per day. In summer I chop up seasonal berries.
Nut butter: for a bit of extra decadence I sometimes add a spoonful of nut butter.

Bold items are avaliable from Get Loose

For hot porridge

Mix ingredients together (except honey and any fruit), cover with water, or milk, and leave for 30 mins or more.
I normally mix the dry ingredients together the night before so the seed nutrients are more available. But this isn’t essential if you forget!
Put in microwave on full power for 1 min, mix, put on again full power for 1 minute.
Add a teaspoon of honey. If available, seasonal fresh or stewed fruit.

For cold porridge (also called overnight oats)

Mix ingredients together, in an airtight container, with liquid (water or milk), honey and fruit of your choice.
I find the Klean Kanteen steel containers are a good size and leak proof.
I do this the night before so I can grab my container straight from the fridge on the way out the door.
If using water, or plant milk, I don’t need to worry about keeping it cold.

Nutritional information of basic mix

Data taken from the Carbs & Cals app.

Note: specific amounts measured due to working out nutritional information, normally I just spoon or tip!

Jumbo oats 50g
Sultanas 1 teaspoon 5g
Sour cherries 1 teaspoon 6g
Pumpkin 1 teaspoon 5g
Chia 1 teaspoon 4g
Walnuts 10g
Cashew 5 whole nuts (9g)
Honey 1 teaspoon
Oat milk if used 150ml
Dairy milk if used 150ml

Cost of basic mix using above quantities

All items are organic unless stated

Prices correct as of November 2023

Jumbo oats £2.40 per kg = 12p
Sultanas £5.50 per kg = 3p
Pumpkin £14.70 per kg = 7p
Linseeds £5 per kg = 3p
Chia £12 per kg = 6p
Walnuts £18.90 per kg = 19p
Cashew £16.55 per kg = 17p
Honey (Fairtrade not organic) £9.99 500g pot = 20p
Oat milk £2.20 per litre = 33p
Dairy milk £2.05 per 500ml = 61p
Totals: Oat £1.20, Dairy £1.48, Water 87p
Items sourced from Get Loose

Nutritional information for optional extras

Stewed apples (no sugar) approx 50g = 5g carbs & 22 cals, 1/2 portion of 5 a day
Stewed rhubarb (with sugar) approx 50g = 6 carbs & 24 cals, 1/2 portion of 5 a day
Peanut butter 1tsp 15g = 2 carbs & 91 cals
Almond butter 1tsp 15g = 3g carbs & 96 cals
Hazelnut butter 1tsp 15g = 3g carbs & 103 cals
Strawberries approx 50g - 3g carbs & 15 cals, 1/2 portion of 5 a day
Raspberries approx 30g - 1g carbs & 8 cals

How do you like your porridge? Share your favourite variations in the comments below.