Rude Awakening!

It was with some sadness that I realised that after having feasted on a variety of incredible slow cooked lunches, today I’d be returning to sandwiches.

The week had been a real voyage of discovery for me. I’ll be forever grateful to Elaine for introducing me to harrissa relish and appreciate both Analisa and Twanna who have opened my eyes to cooking in drinks rather than stock.

However it was probably Analisa’s demonstration that the slow cooker is worthy of kitchen worktop space in the summer as well as the winter, that got me thinking most. I’d mentally pigeon holed the slow cooker as simply a hot comfort food provider on cold, dark winter evenings, but now I know better!

A slow cooker isn’t just for dinner; it can kick start the day too – as a hot comfort food provider on cold, dark winter mornings! With the unwelcome return of icy weather I decided to experiment. I left  the slow cooker on its low setting (the versatile Ecolectric slow cooker has a choice of three heat settings)  over night to see if what I’d heard was true – that – slow cooked porridge is amazing.

Last week we welcomed Rude Health Organic Foods to the shelves of Ethical Superstore. With a ‘Rude’ brand name it may not surprise you to learn that some of their product names sound a little cheeky too, ‘morning glory’ porridge, ‘no flamin’ raisins’ muesli and the object of my affection this morning ‘fruity date’ porridge. The Rude Health range is certified organic by the Soil Association and suitable for vegans too. The smell which greeted me as I opened the kitchen door was fab, the cinnamon fragrance provoking an involuntary ‘reach for the spoon’ reaction. As I lifted the lid, I must confess it looked a little too thick, no worries though, I just added a little bit of hot water while I stirred it to my preferred consistency, and it was good to go.

A totally easy way start to the day and keep me going all morning as the slow release of energy from the oats is virtually guaranteed to keep temptation to snack at bay. I’ll definitely make it again though next time I’ll increase the water content up (I’d used 1 cup of porridge and  2 cups of water – though you can substitute some milk for water if that’s your thing).

If you’ve any tips for getting the most out of slow cooking we’d love to read them, please leave them as a reply below.

Don’t forget you can have a look at the pictures of Slow Cooker Challenge on our Flickr page . . .