Wake Up to Organic - Date & Apricot Oatmeal Cups

We're celebrating breakfasts, and more specifically organic breakfasts, this week in Little Hadham Stores.  We are taking part in the Organic Trade Board's national campaign Wake Up To Organic to  encourage our friends and customers to switch to an organic breakfast, as a first step to eating more sustainably.

Tomorrow, in Stores we'll be giving away Wake Up to Organic's Little Book of Breakfast Recipes, so I thought I should try at least one of the recipes out on the kids.  This morning we had date & apricot oatmeal cups with poached pears for breakfast.

Sweetened with dates, apricots and maple syrup, these oatmeal cups make a tasty summer alternative to porridge.  We eat a lot of porridge in the winter, but tend to switch to muesli or granola, with fruit or yoghurt, in the summer.

I love oats as a breakfast ingredient; they are an incredibly nutritious, gluten-free wholegrain, rich in antioxidants; contain a soluble fibre that we believe helps reduce cholesterol, improves blood sugar control and helps the growth of diverse bacteria in the digestive tract.

These oatmeal cups were a great, nutritionally dense, breakfast; full of wholegrain, seeds, fresh and dried fruit.  They can be made vegan and dairy free, there is only a small amount of flour, which you could probably just omit with no negative effects to the recipe.

They were delicious, the kids definitely preferred to have them with fresh fruit on the side. But considering how often my daughter runs out to catch the bus in the morning with an unfinished breakfast on the table (she is the world's slowest eater) they're a perfect "to-go" food too.  

To get this recipe and others put together especially for Wake Up to Organic, pop into Little Hadham Stores tomorrow 8am - 2.30pm.  We've also got organic mini breakfast and delicious organic foods to buy and try, lets start the day the organic way!