Autumn porridge with poached quince

Step 1

Prepare a large bowl of water with 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Peel each quince, chop into half, core and cut each half into four equal sized pieces. Keep prepped quince in the bowl of lemon water to prevent discolouration.

Step 2

Put cut up quince into a large pot (with a lid). Add about 2 cups / 0.5 litre of water, all the spices including vanilla seeds and leftover vanilla bean and sugar to the quince. Place a lid on top of the pot and bring everything to the boil gently.

Step 3

Once the mixture has boiled, reduce the heat and simmer the fruit on a very low heat (I used setting 1 out of for about 1½ to 2 hours (until quince is soft). Cover the pot with a lid but leave a small gap so that some of the steam can escape. It's important to cook quince very gently as this will turn the flesh the most beautiful pink colour. Once the fruit is soft, take it out of the pot and set aside. Gently simmer the remaining liquid (without the lid) for a few more minutes to thicken the syrup.

Step 4

Put oats into a pan and pour enough plant milk to cover them. Cook your oats on a low-medium heat, stirring frequently. As soon as oats absorb the milk add some more.

Step 5

Keep on adding milk until you achieve a consistency you like, I like mine to have a bit of texture. Once you've added all the milk, let the porridge cook gently (little bubbles will rise to the surface) for another minute or two.

Step 6

Serve immediately with a portion of warmed up quince & syrup, sprinkle of nuts, pomegranate seeds and a dusting of cinnamon.