Porridge...

Talking of skirlie and oats gets me to thinking about when I was small and my mum making me porridge every day for breakfast, until I decided that I would rather have hot chocolate and a cheese toastie.  My sister used to have cereal for breakfast and, out of politeness, I was stuck with my mum's porridge which either came out lumpy or thin but it was always hot.  I used to pour some milk over it to cool it down 'cos we were always in a rush to get our breakfast down and get off to school...Thinking of porridge reminds me of Oliver Twist and gruel.  And thinking of porridge makes me think of custard too, another dish I absolutely hated....

 They started off in a bag like this and my mum soaked them overnight, then she added them to a pan and stirred - but often not enough, hence the lumps...

this is what they looked like.  You can add sugar, salt, honey (apparently), milk and then you gobble them down.  Good stirring stuff to get you going for the day.

Here we have a little video and you can try them at home - if you are lucky enough to find a packet of Scottish porridge oats...

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-the-perfect-bowl-of-porridge