Porridge – the New Fast Food

Scotsman.com: OATS have traditionally never enjoyed the sexiest image. But today even the most stylish and faddish foodie will happily admit to starting the day with a bowl of porridge.
In an age when we are more aware than ever that we are what we eat, it was not long before the rather plain little oat underwent a glamorous makeover. Witness the Scotts Porridge Oats advert featuring a young lady ogling up a ruggedly handsome porridge-eating Scotsman’s kilt. Soon after this, oatcakes appeared in deliberately more modern flavours – Nairns brought out cracked black pepper oatcakes, closely followed by stem ginger, mixed berry and fruit and spice varieties. Word spread of their appeal as a versatile, healthy snack and before long, oats were flying off shelves in all their forms. Sainsbury reported a 60 per cent increase in oat sales in the last six months, and according to reports by market researchers TNS last year, oats are now Britain’s second favourite breakfast cereal, with the oat industry bringing in £79 million per year.
Now Anthony Stone, of Stoats Porridge Bars is taking things a step further by turning porridge into the latest takeaway food.
Stone hit on his idea for a mobile porridge bar after he became fed up with the lack of healthy snacks available when he travelled around the country in his former job as hotel manager. Dull sandwiches and greasy burgers were always available, but not always appealing. For more details, visit www.stoatsporridgebars.co.uk.
Porridge is the new fast food [Scotsman.com]