I just cannot bring myself to...

...really enjoy porridge. It sounds like it should be appetising; a big, steaming bowl of hot porridge, with dried fruit, a generous sprinkling of brown sugar, maybe even a dollop of golden syrup. But no matter how hard I try, I just cannot summon up much enthusiasm for it. At best, I am ambivalent about it. At worst, it makes me feel vaguely sick.

 Which sort of makes me feel like a bit of a failure in the frugal department. Just about every frugal website in the world waxes lyrical about the virtues of oats as a breakfast food. Undoubtedly, they are a cheap meal. Equally undoubtedly, they are also easy to prepare, keep you full for ages, and are astonishingly good for you. Sadly, though, I just cannot bring myself to like a hot bowl of porridge, no matter how cold or grey or wintry the morning.

 However, all is not lost! I have found a way of preparing oats for breakfast that I actually enjoy! I take a couple of spoons of oats, and put them in a breakfast bowl. I add a spoonful or two of dried fruit (such as sultanas). Then, I cover them with milk, pop the bowl in the fridge and go to bed. By the morning, the oats and the fruit have soaked up the milk and they are smooth and juicy and all round lovely. Try it, if you don't believe me! Complete perfection would involve a banana sliced on top, but sometimes perfection just cannot be had, and I enjoy the oats anyway. The friend who gave me the idea for cold soaked oats also suggested soaking the oats in apple juice instead of milk. I keep meaning to try it, but I'm far more likely to have milk in the house than I am apple juice, so it hasn't happened yet. I did once grate an apple into the oats just before eating, and that was nice, but not as nice as the banana. And it left me with a grater to wash. If I use dried mixed fruit, and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top, it tastes and smells a bit like Christmas :-) if I don't have any dried fruit in the house, I might squirt some golden syrup on it to sweeten it instead.