T-oat-ly Brilliant (Tesco Value Porridge Oats)

Member Name: Chelle1969

Product:	Tesco Value Porridge Oats
Date:	17/06/09 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap

Disadvantages: None

Earlier this year when I was trying to lose weight I found that one of my biggest downfalls was snacking between breakfast and lunch as I was always starving long before it was time to eat. My Mum recommended I have porridge for breakfast which I told her would be fine if she'd come round every morning and cook it for me and then wash up the pan! She declined but instead gave me a great easy recipe for microwaved porridge and I've not looked back since.

Tesco Value Porridge Oats come in a 1kg bag which costs 58p, so that works out at about 3p per 50g portion. They are found in the cereals aisle in a simple clear plastic bag with the red and blue Tesco Value logo and banding.
The front features the basic nutritional information for a 50g portion of oats; 180 calories, 0.8g sugar, 4.1g fat, 0.8g saturates and trace of salt.
The back of the bag has a further breakdown of the nutritional properties, allergy advice (contains gluten, no nuts but not guaranteed nut free, suitable for vegetarians), storage advice (keep cool and dry) and two methods of making porridge using a hob or a microwave.

There's not really much to say about the look of the oats, they just look like oats, small pale flakes of cereal grain. As for the taste, well the porridge I make tastes lovely. It's thick and creamy, despite being made with only a small amount of milk. I guess if you were to make it fully with milk it would be even creamier. These value oats are the only oats I have bought, I tried them at first because they were cheap and I wasn't sure how successful my attempts would be, but I've not felt the need the change brands since. I don't think you can really go wrong with porridge oats, surely oats is oats? Maybe the more expensive oats would have slightly less 'dust' in the bag, but in my opinion when it's all mixed up as porridge who cares! As a dry ingredient I find these keep very well in a cupboard either by sealing the bag shut with a twist-tie or by transferring them to a plastic lidded container.

Of course, porridge oats do have other uses too apart from making porridge, they are used in making flapjacks and when added to crumble before cooking they give an extra crunch to the topping.
Below is the porridge recipe that I use every morning (adapted from my Mums basic one) it's really filling and keeps me going for about 5 hours before I feel hungry again. If you prefer you can omit the fruit and seeds and just sprinkle with sugar.


Crunchy fruity bran porridge
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(All measurements are approximate and can be altered to taste)

Spoon 4 heaped dessertspoons (about 50g) of porridge oats into a bowl
Add half a spoon of bran.
Add a dash of semi-skimmed milk (about the amount you'd put in a cup of tea).
Add about half a mug of water and stir.
Microwave on full power for 2 minutes
Add 1 dessertspoon of dried fruit
Add ½ dessertspoon of mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds and stir
Microwave on full power for 50 seconds - watch it doesn't spill over the bowl
Leave to cool for 5 minutes, then enjoy

Summary: Don't waste money on branded oats - these are great!