The number one question that I see in Support groups are questions about oats and porridge. Of course we all know that oats aren’t ever really gluten free. However for those who have done an official oat challenge, you can enjoy uncontaminated oat porridge. For the others who don’t want to complete the challenge or have failed, we struggle to find a decent replacement. That is where the new Orgran Quinoa Porridge comes into play. They’ve been out on the shelves now for about a month; you can find them around. Orgran offered to send me a few samples to try out for you and I accepted. While I was sent these items to review I promise that all opinions in this piece are honest and my own. Though I accept products, I always inform the company that I will be completely honest in my review whether good or bad.
Now I am not a porridge expert. In fact I’ve never had normal porridge before. This meant I had to enlist the help of and expert. For this review, not only will I share my opinion; you’ll read the opinion of a non-coeliac that has eaten normal porridge. Brody eats the Uncle Toby’s quick oats often so you can trust him.
There are two flavours available in quick satchels as well as one standard full size pack. In the satchels packets you can choose to purchase 7 packs of Apple & Cinnamon or Berry. These just so happen to be the favourite flavours of Brody. If you are having trouble finding them around, Gluten Free Goodness sells the plain porridge for $4.95 a box. I’ll be sure to keep the Instagram and Facebook pages updated as I find more stockists.
Before I could eat the porridge I firstly had to learn how to prepare it. The satchels have helpful instructions on the packs. They suggest adding 140 to 160ml of milk and then microwaving for around 1 minute. The first one we tried was the Apple and Cinnamon.
Something about the way the finished product looked concerned me. I wasn’t sure that I would like it. Happily I was surprised; the porridge is thoroughly enjoyable. I did think that it needed a bit more apple flavour, it all pooled in one section of the bowl. The cinnamon I thought came across really nicely and was throughout the whole bowl. For some fresh crunch add some diced apple and this would be amazing. I was impressed and I would eat this again on a cold morning for breakfast. Being someone who hasn’t eaten normal porridge before I can’t comment on how close the texture is. I can say that I found it soft, sticky and it melted in my mouth.
The subtle flavour was the first thing Brody mentioned. It lacked the flavour of other porridge he’s had. The consistency was sticky just like normal porridge but the quinoa flakes lacked the texture of oats. The flakes stayed soft but they didn’t dissolve into the slurry he’s accustomed to. Overall the Orgran Quinoa Porridge in apple and cinnamon got a pass.
The berry was sweeter and had a much stronger flavour. Now that I knew what to look out for; it was sticky, warming and the pieces of berry scattered through out were perfection. The ingredients revealed what made such perfection. Orgran incorporates apple and blackcurrant puree. I love anything apple and blackcurrant in flavour. 110% I would eat this again; on every cold morning to come. Of course I don’t miss oats, it may be different for you. Do eat them warm is my only piece of advice. The colder they become, the less likable I found them. The flakes became tough, chewy and a little rubbery.
The quinoa flakes Brody noted remained the same. The flavour was stronger he agreed, but not strong enough for his liking. These are more than a passable breakfast option despite the fact that they don’t mimic the taste of oats. Brody believes we will never achieve a perfect fake oats flavour but these will do.
The plain one minute quinoa porridge doesn’t come in the easy satchels. However you can scoop some into the bowl, add your milk and water in the same way. At Brody’s request we served these with brown sugar. Apparently his grandmother served them porridge like this. I found the plain was nothing special, I much preferred the flavours. However for those who grew up eating bowl and bowl of porridge this may be how you remember it. There was crunch and sweetness from the sugar. Warm soft quinoa porridge. It was pretty good.
To get a great idea of what the best quinoa porridge around is, I’ll have to do some more testing. For now though, these guys get my stamp of approval. Delicious, quick and easy to create they would be perfect in a little container for on the go. They boast being a good source of fibre with around 4g per serve. Choosing to add water instead of milk results in a dairy free and vegan breakfast option. As the porridge itself is egg free, dairy free, yeast free, gluten free, soy free and wheat free. As the pack suggests in the future I shall attempt a coconut milk substitution to see what that is like. For my opinion on that version of the porridge stay tuned on facebook and instagram.
For now, I’m going to curl up on the sofa with a cook book and the rest of my berry quinoa porridge. For more ideas on what you can do with quinoa products, see my Anzac biscuits or Honey Muffins that use quinoa flakes or my quinoa puff cereal bars.
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It’s time to start enjoying breakfast again.
Until Next Time.
Ashlee; The Aussie Coeliac.
