Which posh porridge is worth its salt?

EAT porridge and you will live longer — it’s official! Well, we’ve always believed this traditional breakfast was good for us, thanks to the Scots with huge biceps on packs of oats. But now we have proof: a study shows that people who daily eat a 28g helping of wholegrains cut their risk of dying prematurely by a fifth and are less likely to develop heart disease.

Harvard School of Public Health in the U.S. studied the diets of more than 100,000 people (74,000 women and 43,000 men) over 14 years to discover the long-term impact of wholegrains — ‘whole’ because they contain the germ, or embryo of the seed, which is high in nutrients.

Compared to wheat, oats are lower in sugar, higher in protein, including essential proteins or amino acids and higher in iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, copper and zinc.

Oats are also higher in ‘good’ fats and the essential fatty acids Omega 3 and 6. And they contain more calories, though only about 150 per 28g serving, so provide more energy.

All good news, except for those of us who were long ago put off porridge by bowls of lumpy grey gruel, complete with thick skin, prepared the purist way with water and a pinch of salt.

Yet sceptics like me are changing our attitude with the advent of the antidote to prison porridge: takeaway posh porridge, served with everything from blueberries, pecans, bananas and lavender honey to gingerbread and almond milk.

Every supermarket cereal brand has its own version of ‘instant’ posh porridge: sachets that you tip into a mug of boiling water. Some come in a paper cup so you can eat it at your desk or on the bus.

Be warned, however, that some posh porridge can be high in sugar and fat.

So, which posh porridge is the king of the breakfast table?

Starbucks perfect porridge

£1.99 per serving MADE with skimmed milk, t hi s porri dge comes with a choice of toppings: jam, dried fruit or honey.

The dried fruit porridge was not perfect at all, but as gluey and flavourless as a school breakfast. The topping was meagre and sad — the dried fruit should have been soaked so the raisins were plump and juicy.

It seems no effort has been made to ensure this breakfast stands out from the rest.

Starbucks really needs to get with the programme in the porridge revolution. POSHNESS: 3/10 HEALTH: 1 portion = 293 calories, 25g sugar, 3g fat 6/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 5/10

Pret a Manger porridge with compote topping

£2 per serving GRAINS with a lovely flavour in this porridge that is made with British jumbo oats and is simmered but not boiled.

It did have the texture of traditionally made porridge and the berry compote had a nice tartness.

It has a relatively low sugar content, so is great if you want a substantial breakfast without too many calories.

Pret also sells a trendy fivegrain porridge with British quinoa, amaranth, flax, chia and coconut water. POSHNESS: HEALTH:

9½/10

1 portion = 276 calories, 14g sugar, 8g fat 8/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 8/10

Leon Porridge of the Gods

£2.50 per serving EXTREMELY posh porridge containing lots of high- class ingredients: Montezuma 73 per cent cocoa solids chocolate, banana and blossom honey.

The Leon restaurant chain (which is mainly in London and the South-East) is run by the Government’s school food tsar, Henry Dimbleby, so its porridge is almost an establishment breakfast, too.

It is freshly made with the option of super-healthy almond milk, has a creamy richness instant porridge lacks and lovely contrasting textures of melting chocolate and banana.

If you are dieting, Leon sells other types of porridge with a lower sugar content. POSHNESS: 9/10 HEALTH: 1 portion = 382 calories, 44g sugar, 15g fat 5/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10

Quaker Oat So Simple apple and blueberry

£2.45 (ten sachets) OATY flavour and sweetness t hat comes from lots of dried f ruit, not added sugar.

However, the texture is just too light and does not have the substantial weight that you would expect from one of our best-known porridge brands.

But once it has been left to stand it became silkier and tasted properly cooked for an instant porridge. POSHNESS: 5/10 HEALTH: 1 portion = 135 calories, 7.5g sugar, 2.3g fat 7/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10

Dorset Cereals gingerbread porridge

£2.39 (ten sachets) DELICIOUS and adventurous with lots of oat flavour and well spiced from the addition of the gingerbread. It tastes a bit like porridge with gingernuts soaked in hot milk — yummy.

The texture was as unctuous as porridge should be, and the added pieces of chopped date gave i t a delicious honey sweetness. Fit for a queen. POSHNESS: 10/10 HEALTH: 1 portion = 237 calories, 16g sugar, 6.1g fat 8/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 9/10

Moma! cranberry and raisin

£2.99 (seven sachets) PORRIDGE with a full oat flavour and great big cranberries.

But I f elt this particular variety in Moma!’s wide range was unsatisfying and disappointing because i t wasn’t substantial enough for a filling breakfast, possibly because it contains skimmed milk powder and you just add boiling water.

But it was easy to make and there were no lumps.

I liked Moma!’s golden syrup porridge pot, £1.19. POSHNESS: 5/10 HEALTH: 1 portion = 274 calories, 21g sugar, 4g fat 7/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10

Kellogg’s Special K almond and honey multigrain porridge

£2 (six sachets) SADLY, this is porridge in the real sense: dismal with a watery texture and no discernible flavour of oats or other grains, though it contains barley and rye.

You can’t detect the flavour of almonds and the honey — which is added as a ‘ natural flavouring’ — tastes artificial and peculiar.

Extra l ow i n calories and sugar, but I am not sure I could l ast until l unchtime without snacking on something else.

POSHNESS: 1/10

HEALTH: 1 portion = 104 calories, 4g sugar, 2g fat 7/10

VALUE FOR MONEY: 4/10