Breakfast for 6 and Change from £1
It's Scotland, it's September, it's a PORRIDGE BREAKFAST DAY!
Porridge oats currently cost around 75p per kilo for the cheapest supermarket saver variety and one kilo will make you 20 portions. (We use 50g per serving). The recommended serving on many of the bags is 45g, so be ever vigilant regarding sudden, unannounced pack size changes, as 990g would be the obvious choice. I AM WATCHING FOR THAT!
It's Scotland, it's September, it's a PORRIDGE BREAKFAST DAY!
Porridge oats currently cost around 75p per kilo for the cheapest supermarket saver variety and one kilo will make you 20 portions. (We use 50g per serving). The recommended serving on many of the bags is 45g, so be ever vigilant regarding sudden, unannounced pack size changes, as 990g would be the obvious choice. I AM WATCHING FOR THAT!
This is the Scottish way of making porridge, so I was rather horrified when I discovered, at the age of almost 40, I might add, that others elsewhere make this like milk pudding.
Per person
1 x small cup (~50g) of porridge oats
2.5 x small cups of water (or as required)
Good pinch of salt
I cook mine in the microwave, it takes only about 6 minutes maximum, but this timing will depend on how powerful your microwave is. Don't forget to stir the porridge halfway through and let it stand for a minute before serving.
Serve with a little milk and a sprinkle of sugar, drizzle of honey, handful of fruit... whatever you prefer.
Allowing 7.5p for the oats and 8p for the salt, milk and sugar, the food costs are minimal.
Per person
1 x small cup (~50g) of porridge oats
2.5 x small cups of water (or as required)
Good pinch of salt
I cook mine in the microwave, it takes only about 6 minutes maximum, but this timing will depend on how powerful your microwave is. Don't forget to stir the porridge halfway through and let it stand for a minute before serving.
Serve with a little milk and a sprinkle of sugar, drizzle of honey, handful of fruit... whatever you prefer.
Allowing 7.5p for the oats and 8p for the salt, milk and sugar, the food costs are minimal.
My microwave is 700w. A 6-minute blast with this costs almost 1p, so the REAL cost of a bowl of wholesome, homemade porridge is only 16.5p per person
If you have a handful of dried fruit with this, rather than sugar, you can easily add on another 10p, so maybe best save the fruit for a mid-morning snack if your budget is tight.
So there you have it: you can feed 6 people a warm and filling breakfast for less than £1.
Would you pay £1 for a bowl of freshly made porridge? Or perhaps you already have, if you've paid 99p for one of those boil the kettle and 'just add boiling water' concoctions that the supermarkets now sell. (And they're only 48g including whatever additives they may use.)
In the land of frugal living, healthy eating isn't about labels and packaging, it is about health, nutrition and basic home cooking.
How much did your breakfast cost this morning?
Have fun taking part in the 'Septimus Frugalus' moneysaving challenge this month - find out all about it here or by going to http://frugaldom.myfreeforum.org/about1347.html
We use a baby Easter egg cup. 1 1/2 cups of oats, 1 cup of milk, 3 cups water, good pinch of salt and 2 teaspoons sugar. Summer we have fresh fruits from the garden on top when available. Winter, sultana's or a date or two chopped up. This amount serves us both, not sure of the cost. We use whole rolled (jumbo) oats, as if I eat porridge made with normal oats, it makes me feel sick. How weird is that? Saturdays we have cereal, Sundays toast and marmalade - both home made.
ReplyDeleteAs you know we usually eat porridge all the year round, but this morning we were very decadant and had 1/4 of a melon each, donated by DD2 and 2 small croissant each (they were in the freezer). Total cost for edible bit of breakfast 20p I would need to weight the coffee we have each morning. Its our one weakness a mug of 'proper' coffee each morning. A bag lasts us a month, so at that rate I think its about 2 1/2p each per morning.
ReplyDeleteI like mine with a drizzle of Golden Syrup on mine.
ReplyDeleteUsually make it with 50/50 milk/water, leave it soaking in the bowl overnight n the microwave, it only takes about 3 minutes to warm up (800w)
ReplyDeleteSprinkled with cinnamon.
This morning my breakfast cost me about 20p. 3 eggs from my chickens, 2 slices of bread from a loaf I made yesterday, a splash of milk in the eggs and some butter for the toast. Delicious with a mug of tea :-)
ReplyDeleteHalf a smart price loaf - 23p
ReplyDeleteBit of cheap marj - 10p ?
Homemade jam - 20p ?(only brought sugar)
Toasted, halved and piled on a dinner plate for everyone to help themselves while we snuggle up in bed and watch an episode of the simpsons lol.
x
You can BUY a loaf for 46p? That is phenomenal! Cheapest here is £1.50 if they're in stock or £1.85 for the others. LOL
DeleteThanks for all the comments, folks. This is the cheapest I can make porridge but it's cheaper now than when I ran the test in 2010. Basic porridge oats have fallen in price 25% since my last calculations, savings only upset by the fractional increase in price of electricity and salt. Last time round it was 23p/500g and this time round it's 59p/500g but that also reflects source, as I didn't get the salt in a supermarket and the porridge was brought by a frugal friend who was visiting and stopped in at supermarket on her way here. I need me a day trip to one of those supermarket places. LOL
ReplyDeleteTesco value porage oats 75p kilo bag. Tesco wholemeal value wholemeal bread 47p. Not all value range is that. Toddle down the ethnic aisle for 3 tins of either chopped tomatoes or chickpeas for £1, considerably cheaper than their value range. Point to ponder for the end of November. Get your saving card now because they are never on view in November and then at the end of November feed 49 of your very hard earned £1 coins into their saving stamp machine and ever so nice mr Tesco will reward you with a free £1 stamp to spend in their emporium. Do not buy your stamps now. Mr Tesco has lots more money than you do!
DeleteButtercup, we don't have any supermarkets here. My closest is a small Co-op about 10 miles away and the nearest 'big name' supermarket is about 25 miles away - a Tesco 'Extra'. There are no buses here and I don't have a car. :) I have a pedal bike and a couple of village stores about 3 or 4 miles from here.
DeleteI use 1/2 cup measure of Irish Porridge (free from friend) to a cup of water and in the saucepan when cooked add tablespoon golden syrup total cost 10p a portion or when I buy porride oats 20p a portion:-)
ReplyDeleteI think we can all agree that porridge should be one of those things on everyone's shopping lists (unless you have Coeliac Disease), as they are still cheap and healthy, versatile and suitable for sweet or savoury foodstuffs. :)
DeleteI had ready brek today - powdered porrige oats I suppose it must be! but it's quick and easy and I was in a hurry - but I love real lumpy porrige - I have to say though I have always made it with milk and then I put a moat of cold milk round it too and golden syrup on top! I will try cooking with water though and see what it's like. Betty
ReplyDeleteHi Betty:) Being Scottish born and bred, I had no idea everyone didn't make their porridge with water. Then I went to work in south east of England, where I had my eyes opened to a whole new world of what seemed like extravagance to me. No wonder some think of us Scots as meanies, I had some very strange 'nicknames' down there. :)
ReplyDeleteWell this month Mr Sft is eating Scottish Porridge for breakfast. I am eating Approved Foods Dorset Cereals which cost us £2.00 for 14 portions.
ReplyDeleteSft x
Yeah! Scotify Mr SFT, he'll never go back to the milky pudding version after getting used to it the 'real' way. ;) They used to say if you cooked it thick enough you could keep it in a drawer and then let folks slice bits off as needed - I have never tried this, so cannot be held responsible for mishaps involving porridge drawers. LOL
DeleteHere in NZ we have always made porridge with water and a pinch of salt and served it with cold milk. Must be b ecause a lot of scottish people immigrated here, and come to think of it the two major brands are Flemings and Rob Roy! I had porridge this morning with milk and brown sugar (I know people who have it with a knob of butter!) Cost me 15c to 20c (not sure how much mlk I used.
ReplyDeleteMy Scottish husband likes porridge the English way with lots of milk and sugar and I like it the Scots way - typical eh :-)
ReplyDelete