Make a pig of yourself with a bowl of bacon porridge

Purists insist it must only be made with water and a good pinch of salt. Others chuck in berries, cinnamon or golden syrup. But this winter, porridge is being eaten with another breakfast staple: crispy rashers of bacon.

Yes, the tricky morning decision about whether to start the day with a meaty fry-up or wholesome oats just got a lot easier. We’ve had bacon sundaes and even bacon toothpaste. Now bacon and porridge have been combined in one glorious bowl.

Jonny Stanley, 34, first tried this concoction when hungover in New York and liked it so much that he has brought it to Brick Lane’s Sunday Upmarket. He grills dry-cured back bacon and then stirs it into the porridge, which he makes with a mix of milk and water in an attempt to appeal to both those who like their porridge rich and creamy and those who prefer a purer flavour.

“It’s actually not as mad as it may first sound,” says Stanley. “Porridge has been eaten with salt for centuries and bacon has plenty of that.” The protein in bacon combined with the slow-release energy of oats makes this meal a good way to start a busy day. Imagine what that famously particular porridge-eater Goldilocks would have made of it all.

A few customers have asked Stanley if he has any honey to go with the porridge (or borridge?), and he is considering bowing to popular demand. They serve maple syrup with bacon and pancakes at Soho’s Breakfast Club, after all, so this combination of sweet and savoury isn’t a completely rogue move.

The trend doesn’t end with bacon, either. In New York, Samantha Stephens serves her porridge not only with bacon but drizzled with a seasonal pumpkin purée. Flavours that suit risotto tend to work well with porridge. Perhaps egg and mushroom is next? Or even a dash of whisky as hair of the dog? The possibilities are endless — this is truly the breakfast of champions.

Bacon Porridge, £3.95, Sunday Upmarket, Brick Lane, E1.