Breakfast Oat Soak

This is a perfect comfort breakfast for one of those cold, wet and altogether miserable mornings that seem to be happening more often than not these days. Those mornings call for a bowl of something hot, stodgy and delicious to warm you up from the inside out, as my mum would say. Admittedly, this is also a dish that definitely doesn't photograph in the most appetizing manner!

The quantities of this recipe are very vague, but are easily adjustable to suit everyone's tastes. Soaking the oats overnight makes this much richer, and also allows the fruit to swell up nicely and flavour the oats.

Ingredients:

• Small handful of porridge oats
• Small handful of dried fruit (I used chopped up apricots and raisins)
• Sprinkle of cinnamon powder
• Milk and water

Method

The night before, mix all the dry ingredients in a cereal bowl. Then add enough liquid to completely cover the oats, as they'll absorb a surprising amount. I like to use about half milk and half water, but this can be adjusted to suit your tastes (more milk will make it much richer). Then clingfilm the top and leave in the fridge overnight.

The next morning, the oats can either be eaten cold straight from the fridge or gently heated either on the hob or in the microwave for a more porridge-like breakfast. The dried fruit tends to sweeten the oats, but a blob of honey or maple syrup on the top definitely wouldn't be a bad idea.