Hamlyns Scottish Porridge Oats and Oatmeal

30/01/2025

Early bird tickets now on sale for the Glenglassaugh Scottish Traditional Boat Festival. Always a highlight of the summer.

Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Ticket & Information Office or from any Entry Point Festival Tickets Tickets for the 2025 are now available online Tickets can also be purchased in person from the Ticket Office or any Festival Entry Point The Scottish Traditional

29/01/2025

Meatloaf is perfect for a midweek meal. It's hearty, delicious, and easy to make. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes, broccoli or green beans, and a generous drizzle of our rich gravy and wait for the compliments!

Recipe link: hamlynsoats.co.uk/recipes/meatloaf-with-rich-gravy

Who’s adding this to their meal plan?

26/01/2025

Do you have any haggis, neeps, and tatties left over from Burns Night? Turn your leftovers into crispy, golden haggis bites – perfect as a snack, starter, or to enjoy with a wee dram 🥃

This easy recipe combines these classic ingredients into bite-sized treats which can be cooked in an air fryer, oven, or on the hob.

Recipe link: hamlynsoats.co.uk/recipes/haggis-bites

What’s your favourite way to use up Burns Night leftovers?

25/01/2025

A wee poem for Burns Night...

An Ode to The Mighty Oat

On this Burns Night let's celebrate,
A beloved Scottish dish, first-rate.
Through Scotland’s past, it’s held its place,
A simple food, a source of grace.

From Highland hills to Glasgow’s streets,
It’s oats that fuel Scots’ daily feasts.
In porridge bowls, they start the day,
A timeless taste, a hearty way.

They’ve fed the clans, the crofters too,
Through centuries old and futures new.
In porridge warm or baking fine,
For health and taste, they are divine.

Beloved of this rugged land,
They're shaped by nature’s steady hand.
Through every age, in every way,
They still sustain us every day.

Oh porridge pot, you warm the soul,
A hearty bowl that keeps us whole.
On frost-kissed days, you set the tone,
A taste of Scotland, all our own.

So raise a glass, a toast, a cheer,
To oats, our staple, far and near.
On Burns Night now, and all year long,
They keep us well, they keep us strong.

For centuries past and futures bright,
It’s oats that fuel us day and night.
So here’s to oats, a hearty cheer,
For health and strength, year after year.

24/01/2025

Caledonia pie is a delicious alternative for Burns Night - a rich haggis base topped with a skirlie layer and finished with a neep and tattie mash. You can make it in a large pie dish, or serve as individual pies.

Ingredients:

2 onions chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
450g haggis
1 tablespoon flour
250ml beef stock - made with a stock cube
1 tablespoon tomato puree
A good splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter
150g Hamlyns Scottish Oatmeal or 150g Hamlyns Pinhead Oatmeal or a mixture of both
750g potatoes, cut into small cubes - or you can use chilled mashed potato
300g turnip, cut into small cubes - chilled shop-bought turnip works well too
Butter and milk to add to the potatoes to make a smooth mash
75g cheddar cheese, grated

Method:

Haggis base:

Gently heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add one of the chopped onions. Cook until soft, stirring regularly, then crumble in the haggis.

When the haggis is heated through sprinkle the flour on top, stir then slowly add in the beef stock.

Give it a good stir, add in the tomato puree and Worcester sauce, then leave to simmer for 15 minutes. You should have a nice thick meaty sauce.

Skirlie layer:

Melt the butter then add in the second onion and leave to cook until the onions are soft and golden and starting to brown around the edges.

Stir in the oatmeal and continue stirring until absorbed and the oatmeal is toasted and golden – this should take around 8 minutes.

Tattie and neep mash:

Simmer the potatoes and turnip until soft – the neeps will take slightly longer than the potatoes.

When ready mash together with butter, milk and plenty of salt and pepper.

If you are using shop-bought chilled potatoes or neeps, heat them in the microwave or on the stove top before mixing together.

To assemble:

Put the haggis layer in the bottom of a large pie dish, or six individual pie dishes.

Top with the skirlie layer – spread all over the haggis.

Put scoops of the vegetable layer on top. Spread across the dish, right to the edges to avoid the haggis bubbling through. Use a fork to make a rough pattern on the top.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the pie, then bake in the oven set to 160C for around 25 minutes, until the pie is heated through and the cheese is starting to bubble and brown slightly.

Enjoy piping hot with peas, carrots or any other vegetables.

Oatcakes go very well on the side too.

24/01/2025

Cranachan is one of our favourite deserts, and is of course the traditional end to the meal at a Burns Supper. You'll find a recipe for traditional cranachan on our website, as well as some wonderful twists on this Scottish favourite including cranachan flapjacks with a whisky icing drizzle, rhubarb and ginger cranachan, and a quick and healthy breakfast cranachan that can also be enjoyed as overnight oats.

Traditional cranachan:
hamlynsoats.co.uk/recipes/cranachan

Cranachan flapjacks with a whisky icing drizzle:
hamlynsoats.co.uk/recipes/cranachan-flapjacks-whisky-icing-drizzle

Rhubarb and ginger cranachan:
hamlynsoats.co.uk/recipes/rhubarb-ginger-cranachan

Breakfast cranachan:
hamlynsoats.co.uk/recipes/breakfastcranachan

23/01/2025

Watch Kilted Chef Craig making savoury breakfast pancakes on the Harbour Stage at the Glenglassaugh Scottish Traditional Boat Festival.

Great fun. Thank you chef.

Ahoy Portsoy!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hgu274h0Gw



Glenglassaugh Scottish Traditional Boat Festival

22/01/2025

Eat more oats!

This feature in today’s Guardian highlights the critical role of fibre in our diets, noting that a low intake of wholegrains is a leading risk factor for diet-related illnesses.

Most people fall short of the recommended 30g daily intake of fibre-rich foods, with the average person in the UK consuming only about 19g.

Fibre offers numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer, while also supporting our gut microbiome and brain health.

Starting your day with a hearty bowl of porridge or overnight oats will significantly contribute to your daily fibre goals. The average bowl of porridge made with 40g of oats contains 3.5g of fibre.

This is one of the 30 ways to get your 30g a day which also includes eating the skin on potatoes, eating whole fruit rather than drinking juice (and it recommends eight portions of fruit and veg per day) and switching to brown rice and bread.



theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/22/the-fibre-phenomenon-30-easy-ways-to-get-your-fill-of-this-life-changing-nutrient?

It reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colon cancer – while boosting the health of our gut microbiome and brain. Yet we all eat far too little fibre. Here is the no-fuss guide to getting your 30g a day

21/01/2025

Are you planning a Burns Supper this weekend? Our new blog covers everything you need for a memorable evening. From haggis and humour, to poetry and puddings, find out about the traditions and recipes that make Burns Night a special celebration for Scots around the world.

hamlynsoats.co.uk/host-a-memorable-burns-supper-at-home

20/01/2025

We found some beautiful vibrant rhubarb over the weekend and turned it into this delicious rhubarb and apple crisp.

We enjoyed ours with custard - a match made in dessert heaven! What's your perfect pairing - custard, cream or ice cream? Let us know!

Recipe serves four people.

For the fruit layer:

350g rhubarb
250g apples - we used Bramley
Teaspoon of vanilla extract
50g light brown soft sugar

For the oat crisp layer:

100g Hamlyns Scottish Porridge Oats
75g plain flour
100g butter, cubed

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C/160 Fan.
2. Wash the rhubarb and cut into pieces around 3cms.
3. Peel and core the apples, cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into four pieces.
4. Put the fruit into a small ovenproof dish, add the vanilla then mix to combine. Don’t use a big dish or your layers will be too thin. Something around 15cm x 20cm is ideal.
5. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, then pop into the oven for 5 minutes while you make your topping.
6. Put the oats, plain flour and sugar into a bowl and mix to combine. Add the cubed butter and rub together to get a chunky breadcrumb-like texture.
7. Take the fruit out of the oven and scatter the oat mixture on top.
8. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the topping is crisp, crunchy and golden.

19/01/2025

Wonderful video from Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Champion, Chris Ormiston, who took to the hills yesterday to share his championship porridge recipe.

Follow Chris’s adventures on Camp Cook Explore.

Join me as I cook my World Championship winning porridge recipe up Bennachie in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.My recipe won The Golden Spurtle at The World Porridg...

19/01/2025

Did you catch our feature in today’s PS magazine in the Sunday post? The Wee Larder’s pinhead, spinach, bacon and cheese breakfast cakes make the basis of a delicious weekend brunch.

Serve with poached eggs and crispy bacon for a delicious start to your morning.

To serve four people you will need:

200g Hamlyns Pinhead Oatmeal
720ml water
½ tsp salt
6 slices of smoked bacon
60g fresh spinach
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 eggs
40g plain flour
60g grated cheddar
Salt and pepper
Butter

These are hearty little breakfast cakes and two is usually enough per person.

1. Add the pinhead oatmeal, water and salt to a small pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 25 – 30 minutes. Drain any excess water from the pinhead through a sieve.

2. Put the drained oatmeal into a medium sized mixing bowl and spread around and up the bowl to allow it to cool properly.

3. Cook the bacon slices in a frying pan with a little butter or oil until well done. Remove from the pan to cool before cutting into small pieces.

4. Add the spinach to the pan and cook down. Set aside.

5. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Add the chopped bacon, spinach, onion and garlic to the bowl with the pinhead. Mix through well.

7. Add the eggs, flour, cheese and salt and pepper to the bowl and mix through well.

8. Use your hands to shape the mixture into 8 – 10 balls. The mixture should hold together well and easily shape into a ball. If it’s too loose add in a little more flour before you roll it into balls.

9. Add some butter to a frying pan on a medium heat.

10. Press the balls down a little and cook on each side for 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful when flipping them over. They should be nice and golden and firm to touch when cooked.

18/01/2025

Hope you're having a lovely weekend. Why not make a batch of these pecan tahini granola clusters this weekend. They're delicious for breakfast with milk or fruit and yoghurt, or as a snack on the go.

Ingredients:

250g Hamlyns Scottish Porridge Oats
125g chopped pecans
60g tahini
75g maple syrup or honey
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 170C/150 Fan.

2. Combine the porridge oats and chopped pecans in a large bowl.

3. Put the tahini, maple syrup or honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt in a small pan and melt together.

4. Pour the maple tahini mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until the oats and pecans are evenly coated.

5. Spread the mixture evenly into a large baking tray and press the mixture down firmly in the tray. This will help it stick together while baking.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the granola clusters are golden brown and crisp.

7. Leave the granola to cool completely. Don’t disturb it while it’s cooling, as this will help the clusters hold together.

8. Once cooled, break the granola into clusters, then store in an airtight container. It will keep for around two weeks, but it won't last that long!

14/01/2025

This Daily Record feature highlights many of the health benefits of starting the day with a bowl of porridge.

The mum-of-three has revealed she eats "a lot" of the 'anti-cancer' superfood breakfast that's also great for weight management

10/01/2025

One for the weekend! Crispy oat crusted chicken with spaghetti pomodoro. Simple and delicious.

Recipe in the comments below.

07/01/2025

We’re proud to have supported the Scottish Grocer & Convenience Retailer’s Christmas Food Appeal for FareShare Scotland, helping families across the country over the festive season. 🎄

FareShare Scotland, the leading food redistribution charity, operates from regional centres in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, and Edinburgh.

Their vital work redistributes surplus food to frontline charities like homeless shelters, children’s breakfast clubs, and lunch groups for older people. This not only provides a lifeline for vulnerable people but also reduces the environmental impact of food waste.

Across the UK, FareShare provides enough food every week to create nearly a million meals! Incredible work 👏

A huge thank you to the Scottish Grocer for the chance to be part of this fantastic festive initiative.

06/01/2025

The results are in! We've emailed all the lucky winners of our festive competition, so make sure to check your inbox if you entered as you might be one of them.

If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry - we have plenty more exciting competitions coming your way in 2025!

First up, a special giveaway for Burns Night. Keep an eye on our page for all the details in a few weeks.

Thank you to everyone who entered, and good luck next time! 🍀

05/01/2025

When porridge oats were recently added to the Government’s list of ‘junk foods’ banned from being advertised before 9pm, confusion reigned. Could this staple of a healthy breakfast really be unhealthy?

The truth is not all porridge is created equal. Instant sachets and pots, which are a far cry from traditional porridge oats, are often packed with added sugars and flavourings.

However porridge oats like Hamlyns Scottish Porridge Oats and Oatmeal’s are a natural powerhouse! High in fibre, particularly beta-glucan, oats can help lower blood glucose levels, improve feelings of fullness, and keep hunger at bay throughout the day.

Avoid instant porridges which are high in sugar and stick to natural oats, which have nothing added to them.

Traditional porridge isn’t just healthy; it’s a Scottish classic. Stick to the real deal for a breakfast that fuels your day!



telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/diet/nutrition/breakfast-myths/

With the Full English, toast and even cereals all demonised, many of us have given up on breakfast – but it’s time to reconsider