The London Porridge Championships

Last Friday saw HFG recipe consultant Phil Mundy go pan to pan with fellow porridge pros in the London Porridge Championships, hosted by Rude Health. His tasty offering was awarded 8 out of 10 for innovation – and here's the recipe for you to try at home…

Almond porridge with warm figs and pear

PREP 2 MIN COOK 10 MIN SERVES 4

125g rolled porridge oats

A few pinches of ground cinnamon

600ml almond milk

2tbsp almond butter

1 tsp oil

4 baby figs, quartered

1 ripe conference pear, sliced

Drizzle of honey

Flaked almonds, to serve

1 In a large pan, combine the oats and cinnamon with the almond milk and 150ml water. Bring to the boil, stirring now and then, over a high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, for 5–6 min until thick.

2 Remove the porridge from the heat, then stir in the almond butter and keep warm.

3 Heat the oil in a frying pan, then lightly cook the pear slices until tender and golden. Add the figs and a splash of water and cook for 1 min. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, to taste.

4 Divide the porridge among 4 bowls. Spoon over the figs and pear, then drizzle lightly with honey and top with a few flaked almonds.

Phil Mundy is the recipe consultant for Healthy Food Guide magazine. For each issue, he creates healthy, nutritious dishes that are full of flavour yet easy to make. His new website eatcleandrinkdirty.com, which includes recipes, healthy eating, fitness and lifestyle advice for men, launches today.

Juliette Kellow, registered dietitian and Healthy Food Guide’s nutrition consultant, says: ‘This is a great recipe for getting your day off to a warming, tasty and nutritious start. Each serving has just 300 calories and is low in saturated fat, so it’s a great choice for waistlines and a healthy heart. Unlike many other breakfast choices, such as toast, croissants or a bacon sandwich, it’s also low in salt, so a good option if you need to lower your blood pressure. This breakfast also provides fibre to help fill you up and keep you going until lunchtime, which can help prevent the desire to snack on sugary foods mid-morning. Better still, oats are packed with a soluble fibre called beta-glucan, that’s been shown to help lower blood cholesterol. Finally, this is a great choice if you need to follow a dairy-free diet because it includes almond milk rather than regular cow’s milk.

For more porridge recipes, pick up a copy of the Winter issue of Healthy Food Guide.