PREPARE THE PERFECT BOWL

Jenny Stringer is deputy managing director of Leiths School of Food and Wine and formerly worked as a cook for Prince Charles at Highgrove and St James’s Palace. TO MAKE perfect porridge what you need is time. The creamy texture comes from allowing the starch in the oats to break down, which is why you must give it time to cook. The porridge will start to thicken after five to seven minutes, but it’s worth persisting longer — 30 minutes ideally, over a low heat — to get the best flavour. And keep stirring or it will burn.

Convention says only salt should be added as a seasoning to lift the flavour of the oats. However, I add sugar, too, always white as brown sugar makes it look a bit murky. The salt will help to enhance the sweetness.

When it comes to oats, I tend to use finer oatmealI. It’s just a personal preference, but the bigger the oats, the longer they take to cook. Traditionally, it’s made with water, though I prefer a mixture of whole milk and water so the porridge has the right balance of creaminess without being too rich for breakfast. As a compromise you could use just skimmed milk.

The amount of liquid needed will vary, as different grades of oats absorb different amounts, use this recipe as a guide. SERVES 4 100g oatmeal or oats 1 litre liquid salt and/or sugar BRING the liquid to the boil in a saucepan and add a little seasoning. Sprinkle in oatmeal or oats, stirring well and keeping the mixture bubbling gently. Turn the heat down low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more water or milk if the mixture becomes too thick while it cooks. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve with more milk (or cream!) to drizzle on and syrup or sugar if desired.