Mary Mulvihill

Mmmh. With raspberry purée, cream and toasted almonds

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love porridge, and those who have yet to discover the tastiest, healthiest, greenest and cheapest way to start the day.

For the latter, all I can say is, don’t just take my word for it — food alchemist Heston Blumenthal’s favourite is porridge with blueberries.

And why is porridge so good and ‘green’? Well, oats are a native Irish crop, locally grown and needing little processing, so they are low in food miles, and you are supporting local farmers. There is no added salt or sugar. Oats also help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and, because they are more filling,  you are less likely to want a snack afterwards.

As well as being good for you, oats are much cheaper than other breakfast cereals, and a kilo lasts much longer, so you save bundles, and there’s less packaging.  Plus, they are a handy pantry staple for making oatmeal cookies and a nice fruit crumble topping.

But how to cook porridge? That was the burning technical question that engaged the science journalists, foodies and environmental engineers in O’Neill’s pub, after Tuesday’s launch of my new book*– eating porridge being the first tip in the book.

And, again, it seems that the world is divided in two: those who use the microwave, and those who use the hob.

I’m a wave power woman myself: two minutes in the microwave is predictable, needs no watching (just stir once halfway), and best of all there is no porridge pot to wash, which I reckon is a significant saving.  (The better half also likes to make his from oatmeal (rather than rolled oats), so if we were to use the hob would be into two pots.) Health journalist Aileen O’Meara, however, favours the hob. While environment engineer Kevin O’Rourke was inclined to think the microwave was more energy-efficient.  But who was right?

A couple of days later Leo Hickman tackled this very question in The Guardian environment section.   The conclusion was that using a microwave uses marginally less energy.    But, factor in the savings in washing-up, and the microwave probably wins out. (Sorry, Aileen)

It just remains to decide what to serve with the porridge.  We’re running down the freezer supplies just now, so this week it’s frozen raspberry purée with toasted almonds.  Other  favourites include: a small apple grated into the oats before cooking, then topped with toasted almonds and honey; or served with some raisins and toasted nuts and seeds, with honey to taste.  Our ‘Sunday special’ — very popular with readers in O’Neill’s pub the other night! –  is served with a drizzle of whiskey, some honey, cream and hazelnuts.

*Thanks to everyone who came and made the launch such a great night.  And a big thanks to everyone who didn’t come from far and wide, especially Carmel in Belgium, and helped to keep the event’s carbon footprint to a minimum!