Does anyone remember those “Ready Brek’ TV adverts from the late 70’s? I’m definitely showing my age here! If you’re luckily young enough to be in the dark about what I’m referring to, let me set the scene. It’s a gloomy winters morning and groups of children are leaving the house, setting off for school surrounded by a fluorescent orange glow. The tagline was ‘central heating for kids’. Ahh, those were the days….

I’m not actually a fan of Ready Brek - something about it reminds me of the smell and texture of baby food. Give me chunky, chewy oats any day. I am, however, a big fan of the glow that you get from eating porridge oats for breakfast. Some people like theirs thick enough to ‘stick to your ribs’ or stand a spoon up in. I like mine with creamy puddles around the edge of the bowl and a generous pinch of flaky sea salt.

Porridge oats make an incredibly nutritious breakfast. High in protein and rich in antioxidants and soluble fibre, they’ll certainly make you feel fuller for longer than a bowl of Ready Brek! I like use jumbo oats but if youre in a hurry rolled oats are fine. Soaking oats in milk overnight makes things even quicker. Just put the oats and milk in the pan you’re going to cook them in, then pop it in the fridge overnight

Here’s my recipe for a chunky apple compote and oaty crumble topping (double oats - what’s not to like!) to have with your porridge. The compote will keep in the fridge for 5 days and freezes really well. The crumble keeps for ages though its also good for sprinkling on fresh fruit and yoghurt - or just munching quietly when no one’s looking.

Apple compote:

2 medium cooking apples and 2 medium eating apples

2-3 tbsp water

80g light brown sugar

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Peel and chop the apples into 1cm dice and place in a heavy-based pan with the water. Cover the pan and simmer over a gentle heat for a couple of minutes until the cooking apples soften, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon and continue to gently simmer for a few minutes more until the eating apples are soft but still hold their shape. Remove from the heat and cool.

Apple pie crumble

100g spelt or wholemeal flour

50g light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1.4 tsp flaky sea salt

50g unsalted butter, cubed

50g oats

To make the crumble, preheat your oven to 190°C fan. Weigh your flour, sugar, spices and salt into a bowl then add your cubed butter to the dry mix and rub in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the oats and combine. Place the crumbs onto a shallow baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. remove from the oven and roughly stir into clumps then bake for another 5 minutes until golden brown and toasty looking. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Porridge (the way I like eat it- the consistency is very personal so go with what you like!)

50g oats

100ml milk

50ml water

Place your oats, milk and water in a heavy based pan. Simmer until thickened - this will take about 5 minutes. add more milk/water if it’s getting too thick. Finish with a generous pinch of flaky salt.

To serve, spoon your porridge into a wide shallow bowl (it’ll cool quicker that way) and top with apple compote and a generous scattering of crumble.

New baking classes for 2025

Pasteis de Nata:This 3 hour class will teach you how to make the iconic Pasteis de Nata - egg custard tarts infused with lemon zest and cinnamon encased in a buttery layered then rolled puff pastry shell. Described as one of ‘Portugal's Seven Wonders of Gastronomy’ this little treat will perhaps take you back to memories of Lisbon and will wow your friends and family when you recreate it at home.

Scandinavian sweet buns. This new half day class for 2025 is all about buns! Create memorable ‘’fika’ moments for you and your family as you learn to make, shape and bake a versatile sweet enriched dough for fruity custard buns, cardamon knots and cinnamon buns.