Figs

Bar a vat of coffee, I was never much of a breakfast person until I started dating Pete. (Pete is one of those naturally skinny people who has to eat every few hours or becomes mute and/ or grumpy). Now however it is my favourite meal of the day. For the last few months we have started the day with a bowl of chopped seasonal fruit and yoghurt, which has been perfect but now that the days are getting colder we’re finding we need something a little more filling. Porridge has made a welcome wintery return, however you can only have porridge for so many days on the trot without feeling like you are living off wallpaper paste. And cereal is pretty much a no-no in the Hayden household now (Sugar! Sugar!), and although some are ok, a lot of my dear boys favourites have been kicked to the curb. What to do?

Cue: homemade granola. With Pete’s nut allergy it wasn’t easy finding a granola or muesli that was nut free and wasn’t full of sugar. And when I did find one that was ok, it was crazy expensive! Much cheaper and more satisfying to make your own I say. So today I set about creating a delicious and healthy nut-free granola, to pimp up our fruit and yoghurt breakfast. It is incredibly quick to make, you know exactly what goes into it and, without blowing my own trumpet, it is pretty bloomin’ good.

Cinnamon, coconut and fig granola — Healthy cinnamon, coconut and fig granola

HEALTHY CINNAMON, FIG AND COCONUT GRANOLA

Makes around 16 servings

2 tablespoons groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil – light olive oil, sunflower, veg etc)
125ml runny honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
275g rolled oats
125g mixed seeds (I use a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppy seeds. Around 100g of the larger seeds and then a few spoonfuls of the little ones)
50g unsweetened coconut flakes
100g dried figs, chopped
75g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 150/ gas mark 2.

In a large bowl whisk together the oil and honey.

Crush the sea salt with your fingers into the bowl and add the oats, seeds, ground ginger and cinnamon. Mix everything together well with a large spoon and divide the mixture between two baking trays. Spread it out as much as possible and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven a couple of times during cooking and mix everything up so it goldens nice and evenly.

After 20 minutes the granola should look pretty golden. Stir in the coconut, chopped figs and cranberries and pop the trays back into the oven for a further 6 – 8 minutes, until the coconut has toasted and you have a lovely crisp granola.

Leave to cool in the tray completely and then spoon into an airtight jar or container. It will last up to a month. Serve with milk and/ or yoghurt, with fresh fruit. Dreamy.

For the first time this autumn I woke up the other day and really fancied porridge. I get super excited about porridge, which might sound a bit weird for something so… normal? But we didn’t really have it growing up, we were all about a slice of cake and a glass of milk (so continental). I clearly remember one of the first times I had it – I was quite old, about 16, and it was made by my friend Emma’s mum. It was thick and creamy and there was definitely a lot of butter in it, but damn it was good. You could just taste that it was naughty and I was instantly hooked.

Since then my palate has changed a bit, and one of the best bowls of porridge I have ever eaten was at The Breslin in NYC, which I know has no cream or butter but really tastes like it should. The recipe here is based on the deliciousness from the Breslin with a topping I made inspired by the stunning figs spilling out of my fruit bowl.

CREAMY PORRIDGE WITH CARAMELISED FIGS AND ORANGE BLOSSOM

Serves 2

Because this porridge takes a while to cook, I have tried making a double batch on a Sunday evening, cooling it down and keeping it in the fridge. I then just reheated as much as we needed with a little extra milk over the next few mornings. Works a treat.

50g rolled oats (not the quick cook ones)
30g steel cut oats
350ml full fat milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 figs, cut into wedges
1 heaped teaspoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
A tablespoon of unsweetened coconut shavings
A splash of orange blossom water

Pour the milk into a medium sized non-stick pan with 350ml of water. Place on a high heat and as soon as it starts to come to the boil stir in both the oats and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for around 35 minutes, stirring regularly, until the steel cut oats are cooked through/ no longer have a bite.

About 5 minutes before the porridge is ready, caramelise the figs. Melt the coconut oil in a small non-stick pan over a medium heat and add the fig wedges. After 3 – 4 minutes, when the figs start to turn golden, drizzle in the honey and add the sesame seeds and coconut shavings. Add the orange blossom water and turn the heat up a little. Swirl everything together and caramelise for a couple of minutes, turning the figs to coat in the honey, until thick and sticky.

When the porridge is ready stir in the salt and divide between 2 bowls. Leave to ‘set’ for a minute and then spoon over the figs and honey.

Healthy cinnamon, fig and coconut granola

Porridge with caramelised figs and orange blossom