Porridge

It's supposed to be good for you, right?

I recently overcame my lifelong aversion to all milky-looking things with lumps in them in keeping with my largely-successful dieting initiative. Add some fruit and seeds and there it is, brimming with oaty proteiny goodness. Warm, nourishing and filling, albeit temporarily.

Except that porridge for me has become not just the expected purgative effect but a long-lasting storm in my intestines. I won't go on. It does.

I suddenly had the thought this week that perhaps it's something to do with the milk: that I am one of the 65% of adults who are lactose-intolerant.

That milk, now skimmed, in tea or my breakfast latte is fine but the amount of lactose in a 260ml porridge milk portion has become too much.

Apparently lactose intolerance can come on quite suddenly but, looking back that must have been the reason why my stomach was twisted into paroxysms by that baked Reblochon with braised fennel a couple of years ago.

With some trepidation, I used lactose-free milk in Thursday's porridge and, well, there were no bad after-effects. So that's obviously the way to go.

Sadly there's only one sort of skimmed lactose-free milk and it's not organic and you have to go to the supermarket for it. But it works for me.