Chocolate porridge

OK it's ugly but it's delicious. And healthy. My 9-year-old son asks for this all the time.

Down here in New Zealand we make porridge out of real unadorned rolled oats (though admittedly "quick" oats, i.e. heavily rolled ). Modify this recipe for any commercial concoctions you might get your porridge from.

Two serves:
One cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
One cup milk
1-1/2 to 2 cups water (boil it in the kettle first if you are in a hurry like most of us in the mornings)
Three (or four!) heaped dessertspoons of good cocoa
One heaped dessertspoon of brown sugar - just enough to balance the bitterness of the cocoa

[One of the great things about porridge is you make it over and over, so refine this recipe to make it your own just-right breakfast. Don't try to add more cocoa or liquid or sugar after boiling - next time you make it you can change the quantities].

Mix the oats and cocoa dry in a saucepan until the cocoa is spread all over the oats and there are no lumps. Add sugar, salt, milk and water and bring to the boil. Don't be gentle about boiling, and keep stirring briskly to prevent it burning. After a good boil, simmer and stir for as long as you can wait.

Serve with a dollop of thick plain yoghurt on top and maybe a few choc chips and a drizzle of milk.

For real indulgence, break a finger of 70%-cocoa chocolate off a block and poke it down the middle of the porridge after serving, so it melts into a gooey centre. YUM!!!!!