Stewed Apples and Oats

I've been running out of interesting breakfast ideas for ages. Each morning I come downstairs mildly delusional still, grab the bowl, pour in the porridge and bang it in the microwave. 1 minutes 30 seconds later and I'm piling the same old slop into my mouth whilst watching bbc news. But then this morning everything came to a head. After staring at the bag of porridge for a good two minutes wondering if I really could spoon this into my mouth for the 100th time in a row I hit upon an idea. I've always loved stewed apples and had a few granny smiths in the back of my cupboard so why not combine the two? Best part is it tastes like crumble, and I'm never going to grumble about crumble in the morning! It was so tasty I boxed up the rest and had it in a container for lunch- may have got a few odd looks in the library but they'd be on my side if they tasted it. It may not look like much but then again neither does the stewed apple at the bottom of a crumble!

Stewed Apples and Oats

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 1 large green apple or 2 small granny smiths
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 4-5 tbsp oats
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 cup of water

Method:

• Peel the apple (I actually forgot to do this but I think it would be slightly nicer peeled) then chop into small chunks, removing any seeds. Place the apple chunks into a small saucepan with the water and sugar.
• Cook on a low heat with a lid over the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. The apple should be soft and squidgy by this point. Use a potato masher to mash up into smaller pieces then add the honey and oats and stir. You may need to add a little more water at this point to prevent the mix from becoming too dry.
• Cook for a further 3-4 minutes allowing the oats to soak up some of the moisture. Taste and if necessary add a little bit more sugar. Serve up and enjoy! This can be enjoyed hot or cold, and should keep for about a day.