Cereals & Grains

Flakes are rolled, so they cook in minutes – buckwheat, millet, quinoa and brown rice flakes all make a porridge, and all four are worth trying if you have got bored of oats. Quinoa and buckwheat flakes are naturally gluten free.

Whole grains take longer and reward it. Black rice is worth cooking simply the first time to see what it actually tastes like. Most whole grains benefit from a soak beforehand, which shortens the cooking and makes them easier to digest.

The Deluxe Muesli is the one to buy if you want fruit and nuts already in it; the plainer base mueslis are cheaper and let you add your own. Either way the 1.4kg bag works out considerably better per bowl than a supermarket box.

Grains keep well but not indefinitely. Decant into a sealed container, keep it cool and dark, and use wholegrain flours and flakes within a few months – the oils in them turn eventually.