“Thou still unravish’d bride of quietness,
Thou foster-child of silence and slow energy-release,
Scotch historian, who canst thus express
A flour-y tale of a more savoury feast”
There are few moments in life in which the words of Keats’s poetry are summoned unexpectedly to mind; perhaps after undergoing the epiphany that you may never really understand MHRA referencing, you may collapse atop your bed mulling on the line ‘Here lies one whose name was writ in water’, or possibly the words ‘Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced’ were your Freshers’ Week motto when signing up to the quirkier societies you never did attend. If you cannot relate to such experiences, it is not necessarily because you are not living a life of spontaneity: it may simply be that you have yet to be enlightened by the power of a porridge oat.
Data from market research company Mintel suggests there’s been 8 percent drop in sales of breakfast cereal, compared with 2011, largely due to our increased consciousness around sugar (Frosties, for example, has 37 grams of sugar for every 100 grams, which is more than what is found in a can of Coca Cola). Today, diversely decorated and heavily-filtered pictures of bowls of ‘overnight oats’ are just as popular on Instagram as supermodel selfies and Rupi Kaur quotes, often accompanied by motivational hashtags and body-positivity profiles. With its endless recipe possibilities and combinations, porridge has become an artistic form of self-expression and creativity, a far cry from the dehumanising gruel of the Victorian workhouse.
Not only are oats cheap, they are an excellent source of carbs and fibre, as well as being high in many vitamins and minerals. They are known to help reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and will prevent your stomach from rumbling mid-lecture or when busy writing love-poetry about your next-door neighbour.
Today’s oats come in many forms, from classic rolled to jumbo, organic, steel-cut, pinhead, and more. If you are understandably somewhat daunted by the world of porridge oats recipes and formulas, and do not feel ready to don your apron just yet, head down to ‘Porridge Project’ in Stokes Croft for a delicious introduction to a fulfilling life of ‘sensations rather than thoughts’.
If you do feel ready to hit the stove, here is some oat-inspo:
If Keats were a porridge: ‘Plum and Apple Creamy Porridge’, from ugnebakes.com
This decadent combination is the only one which could possibly compete with Porphyro’s romantic breakfast buffet from the poem ‘Eve of St Agnes’. Simply add quince, gourd, jelly and ‘lucent syrops’ all specifically from Morocco, and ‘spiced dainties’ from Samarqand, for true authenticity. This is the breakfast of the true inamorato.
If you have woken up in a ‘Look like th’innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t’ kind of mood: ‘Traditional Scottish Porridge’, from thespruceeats.com
Undoubtedly the go-to breakfast of Lady Macbeth, there is nothing else which could possibly fuel a long day of supporting your useless husband through murderous plots and late nights of somnambulism.
If you are oat-rageously ambitious: ‘Multi-grain coconut porridge with rhubarb’, from waitrose.com
If you are planning on some serious social climbing à la Becky Sharp (including carefully considered marriage arrangements with members of the aristocracy – degrees are hard work), perhaps induced by third-year career panic, set your sights high with some frightfully elitist oatmeal. Accompany with a glass of fine red wine to remind everybody of your French nobility heritage.