Once you’ve made a batch of your basic porridge, you can take it whichever way you like by adding different ingredients. You could keep it simple, adding a drizzle or honey or maple syrup, or a light sprinkling of sugar, and topping with a few toasted seeds, nuts or dried fruit or I’ve given you two of my favourite combos here to try out instead.

serves 4

Ingredients

• Basic porridge
• • 200g rolled oats
• • 750ml milk, soya milk or water
• • sea salt
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• Blackberry and apple
• • 2 apples
• • a large knob of butter
• • a small handful of rolled oats
• • 1 tablespoon runny honey, plus extra to taste
• • 2 handfuls of fresh or frozen blackberries
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• Banana and cinnamon
• • 2 ripe bananas
• • a small handful of flaked almonds or desiccated coconut
• • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• • 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• • 2-4 tablespoons maple syrup or runny honey, or to taste

To make your basic porridge

• Place the oats and the milk or water in a pan with a small pinch of sea salt and put it on a medium heat
• Bring to a steady simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring as often as you can to give you a smooth creamy porridge
• While it’s blipping away in the pan, if you’re using one of the flavour combinations below, prepare the ingredients
• 1 or 2 minutes before the porridge is ready, add your flavouring (if using)
• If you like your porridge runnier, simply stir in a splash more milk or water until you’ve got the consistency you’re after

To make your blackberry and apple porridge

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• Core and dice the apples
• Fry the apples in a pan with the butter until soft and golden
• Add the oats and honey, and cook for 1 minute

To make your blackberry and apple porridge

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• Squash the blackberries into the porridge
• Serve with the oats and apple on top

To make your banana and cinnamon porridge

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• Peel and finely slice the bananas
• Put the flaked almonds or coconut in a small dry pan over a medium heat and stir until lightly golden
• Stir through the cinnamon, half the poppy seeds and most of the maple syrup or honey
• Serve with the bananas and flaked almonds or desiccated coconut on top
• Sprinkle over the remaining poppy seeds and drizzle with maple syrup or honey