Earl Grey Porridge

Foods have characters right? Some easily pair up with nearly anything others are quite special and their partners have to be picked carefully. Or think of chocolate - most people like it (at least once in their life) and then there are specialist foods like porridge and Earl Grey, totally delightful yet not everyones first choice.

With several recipes like here and here you might already know how much I love black tea and Earl Grey in particular is one of my all time favourites. The fragant sometimes fruity flavour is what gets me every single time. It's not as strong as the breakfast kind of tea (another fave of mine) which makes it perfectly adaptable to use in cakes or other desserts.

To speak about the porridge: a steaming hot bowl is what wakes me up during the cold mornings and a cold overnight version fuels me for long lovely summer days - serve it with some cut up fruit and maybe a little yogurt and I'm all in.

On one of those totally-not-motivated Monday mornings (we all know them, don't we?) a few months ago: I was sitting at the breakfast table, a cup of tea steaming on my right side and a hot bowl of porridge right in front of me, when my mind woke up in the matter of a second with a super easy idea: why not add the tea into the porridge for a little twist on flavour?





Thought and tested, a few days/breakfasts and several tries later (tea bag cooked in milk, then adding the oats; tea bag cooked in water, then adding the oats; with honey for sweetness; without honey for sweetness) I came up with the perfect recipe: using half milk, half water (this provides the creamy texture without leaving a "too-full" feeling afterwards) and adding the tea leaves directly into the liquid pre-heating - a totally flavoured yet not overwhelming breakfast "treat" to wake up to on those still crisp and cold first spring mornings. You can top it with some honey, yogurt or fruit and are all ready to go and face today's challenges. And if you like it super-special try adding some un-cooked tea leaves on top - adds in a nice crunch!
Make a batch ahead on the weekend to have it ready to go on rushed mornings during the week or cook it fresh every morning - it's always a winner.

Earl Grey Porridge
 Amounts given are portioned per person
- 1/3 cup /30g oats
- 1 cup/ 240ml milk or water according to your liking (or use half milk, half water)
- 1 packet/1 Tbsp Earl Grey tea

1. Mix liquid and tea together in a saucepan. Set on medium high heat.
2. Once it starts to simmer add in the oats. Stir well.
 3. Wait until it boils, then set off the heat and let sit for a further 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
4. Serve warm in a bowl with optional fruit and yogurt or milk as a topping. Leftovers can easily be kept in the refrigerator and optionally reheated in the microwave or saucepan again. Enjoy!