Also at the SECC we met the guys from Stoats. They mold organic porridge oats into handy bars as well as selling bags of the raw stuff and other bits and pieces (and spelling porridge correctly too…).
Another wee independant producing the stuff we need.
The flavours are varied and tasty, and the textures are those that only come from natural ingredients that haven’t been overprocessed to within an inch of their lives and their nutritional values.
It’s changed days when it comes to nutrition for the hills. Healthy, functional and tasty food is widely available if you know where to look. Even freeze dried and dehydrated food can be had that’s tasty and has physically recognisable ingredients.
Eating less sugary shite on the hills is quite strange, but I think everything from my digestion to my teeth are faring well froma generally better outdoor diet.
I’ll never abandon chocolate and bakery treats for the tent, these are necessary for morale. But as a friend recently said “D’you think Kendal Mint Cake would burn, I mean, it is just a mint flavoured hexamine block isn’t it?”.
Gordy eatured these on his blog not long ago, I’d forgotten about them. They sound just the ticket for a fast breakfast with no faff.
How else does porridge get spelled?
“Scott’s Porage Oats”
I think it’s to keep Americans happy or something…
Ah I see…
I suppose now it comes in bar form I can leave my lightweight spurtle at home now.
Is that a titanium spurtle you have there?
Dad ?
Whats a spurtle ?
The spurtle (or “spirtle”) is a Scots kitchen tool, dating from at least the fifteenth century. It was originally a flat, wooden, spatula-like utensil, used for flipping oatcakes on a hot griddle. This terminology is now confined to Angus and Perthshire.
Over time, the original implement changed shape and began being used specifically for stirring oatmeal and soups. The rod-like shape is designed for constant stirring which prevents the porridge from congealing and so becoming lumpy and unappetising.[1] It looks like a fat wooden dowel, often with a contoured end to give the user a better grip. It is in common use throughout Scotland, although it is rarer in Angus and Fife where the term theevil is used.
The word may derive from the Latin spatula.
There is a World Porridge Cooking Contest known as “The Golden Spurtle”.
Where would we be without Wikipedia?
Porage?!! What the heck’s that? You sure it’s not a typo for Potage? French soup bars?!!
Porridge, or porage, is a simple dish made by boiling oats (normally crushed oats, occasionally oatmeal) or another cereal in water, milk, or both. It is eaten in a flat bowl or a dish. If made from cornmeal to which boiling water is added this can be seen as a variant of porridge, though these are more often described by regional/national variant names such as polenta and grits and are prepared and served according to special regional traditions. Oat and semolina porridge are the most popular varieties in many countries, other cereals used for porridge include rice, wheat, barley, and cornmeal. Legumes such as peasemeal can also be used to make porridge.
Gruel is similar to porridge but is much more like a drink; it has a very thin consistency and is made with water.
In many cultures, porridge is eaten as a breakfast dish, often with the addition of salt, sugar, milk or cream. As the traditional breakfast of Scotland it is made with salt. Some manufacturers of breakfast cereal sell “ready-made” versions; aficionados question whether these can truly be called porridge.[who?]Porridge is one of the easiest ways to digest grains or legumes, and is used traditionally in many cultures as a food to nurse the sick back to health. It is also commonly eaten by athletes training for their events, and it is done that way in road running.
In Scotland the art of porridge-making is competitive with the World Porridge Making Championships held annually in Carrbridge, Inverness-shire. The event is also known as the Golden Spurtle due to the winner receiving a gold-coloured trophy of a spurtle, which is a utensil used for stirring porridge. The contest is held in October each year
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I have been locked up almost all weekend so I am going to mis behave !
Snaw withdrawal?
Anyway, Paw Broon says “porridge”, so that’s good enough to make it gospel.
The Kelty Deli stocks these. (Aye, I know; a deli in Kelty. Who’d have thought?) I shall drop by and ivestigate. St Andrews would be the safer option but it’s too far :o)
spurtle is still big time in rural Aberdeenshire. Not just porridge but mashed tatties get a right doin’ with a spurtle.
Who needs SIS? Porridge, the original performance food.
I’m away to make some. I shall chop an apple into it I think.
You all made my mouth water so much I went and spirtled myself a bowlful for lunch! Organic oats – the big ones, not those awful powdery little ones – water, pinch of salt. Spirtled for 10 minutes and served with a big spoonfull of molasses sugar and a dollop of cream. Now there’s lovely!
I had my big bowl with chopped apple this morning, seconds after I posted that above.
I might vary it tomorrow with a chopped banana.
Definitely good stuff for this weather!
Mission accomplished. I recruited a local (safer that way) and now have three varieties sitting on my desk.
By jings, they’re dear tho’. I may have to save them for a special occasion. Like this Friday and a sneaky day off :o)
Alright!
(apply that exclamtion to all the points above :o))