October is one of my favourite months. Whilst in September we’re often clinging to the last of the late summer sun, October (usually) heralds a change. We turn away from bare legs and naked toes, and lean into opaque tights, knee boots, knitwear and layers. Or at least I do.
We ditch salads for soups, and when it comes to breakfast, overnight oats are slowly making way for something a bit warmer – at least in my own kitchen and at my desk at work. I couldn’t tell you when my fondness for porridge began. My dad always added salt to it, which I found odd. Others dowsed it in golden syrup to make it sweeter and stickier. I’ve always been somewhere in the middle.
When I did distance running, it was my go to pre run fuel. It settled easily, no upsets, and kept me full all the way through a 10km and well into a half marathon. I’ve taken the same approach for powerlifting competition as well. Wherever I am competing, breakfast will be porridge (and probably a protein shake too).
For ease, I love a sachet or a pot – whilst rolled oats are great when you have time, instant oats have been precooked, rolled and pressed a bit thinner, and so soak up all the liquid that bit faster. There’s less waiting around, they come pre-measured – over the summer I even took to making overnight oats in the morning using instant oats. Sure it means ‘overnight’ is a little exaggerated, but they tasted just as good.
And that’s where MOMA come in. Now whilst I’m not sure if they had some psychic knowledge about my love of oats (I’m not sure I’ve posted it much online?) they dropped me a line to offer me some tubs to try. And I was hardly going to say no to a free breakfast.
Their range is pretty comprehensive, including gluten free and vegan options. Cacao and hazelnut. Coconut and Chia. Golden Syrup. Plain. Being a fruity little number myself, I selected the Cranberry and Raisin vegan option, because though I’m a consumer of cheese and meat, for the last few years I’ve not liked milk.
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(Seriously MOMA have you been looking at my shopping receipts because I’m sure there are some MOMA oat milk purchases on there as well).
And I’m really glad I did. They’re sweet, but not too sweet (you can always add, you can’t take away). They work well hot or cold – you can just boil the kettle and add hot water or, as the warm weather is still lingering a smidge, I also have added cold chilled milk and let it sit quietly til I’m ready to eat. The fruit is generous, but not overly so, and the cranberries add a little sharpness, so it’s well balanced. And they also keep me full for ages.
Whilst I’d hesitate to call them the best porridge pots out there (I haven’t tried them all) they are definitely my favourite pots, and I’m adding them to my shopping list!
If you fancy trying them for yourself you can find MOMA in most supermarkets, and stores like Whole Foods and Holland & Barrett. You can also find them online, where you can buy direct, or set up a subscription.