Hello hello!
I’m writing this from a very cosy apartment in Edinburgh! And while I usually drop into your inbox on a Sunday morning, we’re running a wee later this week, which can be blamed on a food-filled trip to Glasgow - surprisingly a total hub for incredible eats! I did a little roundup here, but if a more rounded guide for Glasgow and Edinburgh piques your tastebuds, let me know and I’ll get my fingers tapping away.
But a Sunday evening check-in feels kinda nice actually. A slower moment to catch-up, with a pretty perfect porridge bowl to make Monday morning feel more exciting, and a few quick polls for me to pick your brains on what you’d like more of from this newsletter.
With a new flurry of subscribers from my recent citrussy newsletter - another big hello! - as well as those who have been here from day dot, it seemed a good time to check in. There will always be a focus on recipes, with a few food and travel guides plus general life chatter - but if there’s anything a little more specific you’d like to see, please let me know!
If there’s anything else you’d like to see from me, please feel free to pop it in the comments, reply to this email or drop me a DM. Thank you so much! Now for
The Porridge
The perfect porridge (in my opinion)
…makes use of those little GU ramekins! Would you believe?!
I partly chose to include this in todays newsletter because I enjoyed the alliteration that went with “polls”. But mostly, it’s because I have a soft spot for porridge. It’s partly the reason why this newsletter exists, and in many ways, how my whole career in food began.
A humble bowl of porridge, sat oh-so sophisticatedly on my…radiator, dressed up with jam, berries, yogurt and peanut butter. It was snapped without a second thought and onto the grid it went - the proof is here. From then on, the bowls of home-cooked delights grew, as did my path in food. I won’t go into the full detail here, but have a read of this, if you’re interested in the full spiel.
Porridge - the how-to
I really don’t mean to sound patronising here(!), but we all have our preferred ways of porridge-ing. And actually, I have two.
One for the hob that’s a little more slow-stirring, perfect for Sunday mornings when you have time to lean into the ritual.
A microwave method when minutes are precious, but you absolutely deserve a great brekkie before heading out the door, or to your WFH setup.
So whatever you’re after, these methods will get you there:
The oats
I like a Scottish rolled oat - the smaller, quick-cooking kind. They’re speedy without cooking down into complete mush whilst still having some texture. And so the recipes below are based off of these, but if you’re working with something different:
Jumbo oats = more bite and texture. They’ll need extra liquid and time to soften.
Steel-cut oats = nutty, chewy, a bit more of a commitment. Give them at least 10-15 minutes on the hob for their best texture.
Measurements
It’s as simple as 1 part oats to 2 parts liquid.
Now for the GU ramekin chat - a ‘utensil’(?), that I’m sure post of us have in our cupboards, acts as a very good measuring tool. Fill it just below the rim with oats and that’s about 45g - my personal sweet spot for a serving. Then, fill it twice with liquid water and/or milk which we’ll get onto in a sec - and this ratio of oats:liquid will get you to porridge perfection.
Toppings
Nut butter, 90% of the time - peanut! almond! tahini!! - having said that, it totally depends on the mood. Some mornings, simple is best, where a splash of cold milk and a drizzle of honey will just do it. Other times - well, most of the time for me - we’re dressing up. Here’s a few of my go-to-toppers:
Butters
Crunchy almond or peanut butter
Tahini
Seeds
Pumpkin & sunflower
Hemp
Flax
Chia
Other bits & bobs
Jam, any jam
Stewed berries - simply warm up frozen berries in a pan with a drop of honey
Whatever fruit is in season
Dried fruit like dates or raisins
Dollop of thick greek yog
The microwave method
The trick? water first, milk second. I’ve found when cooking oats in the microwave, water gives you the best consistency - maybe it’s to do with the cold temperature of the milk? Don’t quote me on that, but I’ve never quite got the right consistency and the oats don’t cook as well. The milk comes with just a splash at the end which you then stir through for the best consistency and cooling contrast.
Ingredients
For the porridge
50g oats (or 1 GU pot filled just below the rim!)
200ml water
Splash of milk of choice - cows, almond, coconut
To top
Any of the above I mentioned, but for something for seasonal and time appropriate - marmalade!
A dollop of thick greek yogurt
Marmalade jam - I recently tried this one, delicious!
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of flaky sea salt
Method
To a microwave-safe bowl - ideally one that you’ll actually serve the porridge in - add the oats and 200ml water and stir to combine. Microwave for 1 minute 10 secs, give it a stir, then cook for another 10-20 seconds - you should reach a fairly thick, creamy consistency, the milk will loosen it a little in the next step.
Pour in a splash of milk and stir to combine.
Top with a dollop of yogurt, a blob of marmalade, a drizzle of good olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Or, any toppings of choice!
On the hob
A teeny bit more time, but great for a bowl of slightly silkier porridge.
Ingredients
For the porridge
50g oats
100ml water
100ml milk of choice - cows, almond, coconut
To top
Any of the above I mentioned, but for something for seasonal and time appropriate - marmalade!
A dollop of thick greek yogurt
Marmalade jam
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of flaky sea salt
Method
Add the oats, water and half of the milk to a small saucepan and bring to a gently boil. Reduce to a low-simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, until the porridge is soft and thickened, stirring regularly - about 5-6 minutes. If you’re using jumbo or steel-cut oats, they’ll need longer, about 10-12 minutes. Stirring regularly will help you achieve that perfectly creamy texture with no clumps.
For the last few minutes of cooking, stir through the remaining milk. This will give you that silky finish and creamier taste.
Tip the porridge into bowls and top with a dollop of yogurt, a blob of marmalade, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Or any toppings of choice!
The little corner of every newsletter where I share random bits & bobs I’ve been loving, found inspiring, would recommend, or simply something fun and worth sharing.
Going to get out the needle & thread to sew one of these onto my jumpers
The one food we should all be eating for a genuinely happier life, wrapped up into this 30 second video
Slathering this onto my toast next
As always, the biggest thank you for being here. I’m hoping you’re enjoying Table Read! And if you are, I’d be so grateful if you wanted to share the newsletter with anyone else who you think may enjoy it too (they sound pretty great).
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I’ll catch ya in the next newsletter!
Han xx
Delicious porridge stuff . Tx
Great read darling 💞 did I read get needle out to sew 🤣XX