Read: Irish Examiner | Oats: Irish grown, sustainable and the ultimate winter breakfast
First published in the Irish Examiner on 2 January 2025.
Oats can help lower blood pressure and improve digestive health, are a versatile option for a warm winter breakfast – and are grown right here in Ireland.
Feeling a bit sluggish after all the festivities? Needing something warming and nutritious for these cold winter mornings? Irish-grown and enormously versatile, oats are a brilliant breakfast option. When it comes to nutrition they tick all the boxes: they’re a good source of fibre, have the ability to lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels, reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes and can also help to promote digestive health.
Oats come with a further benefit when they’re Irish-grown: no air miles means that they’re a sustainable food choice. The best known Irish oat brand is the long-established, family-run Flahavan’s, is based in the historic town of Kilmacthomas in Co Waterford. “Sustainability has been part of Flahavan’s DNA long before it became a buzzword in business,” says Johnny Flahavan, operations manager and the seventh generation to work in Ireland’s oldest family-run food business. It’s something, he says that “has always been at the heart of our operations, driving long-term thinking and responsible business practices.” Founded in 1785, the Flahavan’s mill was first powered by the River Mahon; some 240 years later, the river is again playing a part in energy generation with the installation of a modern water turbine. Along with other recent innovations like solar panels and a wind turbine “to further reduce our carbon footprint,” they reuse waste from oats in a way that maximises the benefit from this locally grown product: “our oat husk-powered boiler, first installed in 1985, was a pioneering step towards renewable energy use in Irish food production.”
Flahavan’s has always looked first local, and then Irish, for the oats that it uses. Conventional oats are sourced from a 60km radius of the factory; all the organic oats are grown in Ireland. For Flahavan, organics is an important part of the business. “Supporting the growth of Irish-grown organic oats has been a key strategic focus for us,” he says. “We’ve worked closely with Irish farmers to develop long-term partnerships and offer clear supply commitment. By offering a fair price and stable demand, we’ve been able to foster confidence among existing and new organic growers, ensuring a strong, sustainable future for Irish agriculture.”
Having access to Irish oats is one issue – what you do with them after that is a whole other story and that’s where nutritionist Ciara Morgan, who was appointed Flahavan’s innovation manager in 2023, comes in. While she’s a fan of porridge herself- “it’s warming and comforting and gives you that energy boost to get you through the day” – she points out that there are many more ways of consuming oats in the morning .
Research carried out by Flahavan’s and Bord Bia in 2024 found that breakfast is Ireland’s favourite meal and 80% of 2000+ respondents ate breakfast almost every day. The first meal of the day was considered extremely important, with 69% seeing it as an opportunity to give themselves and their family a good, nutritious, fulfilling start. This is where oats are especially useful.
“Our brand mission,” says Morgan, “is to bring health to people while working in harmony with nature…we want to be sustainable, sourcing locally, and making sure oats are minimally processed.” The OG of the porridge category is pinhead oatmeal, also known as steel-cut oats, which is simply chopped wholegrain oats. While it makes a deliciously textured, well-flavoured porridge, it can take up to 30 minutes to cook. Rolled oats, what Flahavan’s call “progress oatlets” – a term that fascinated generations of children as they gazed at the distinctive red and green bags on the kitchen counter – have gone through a steaming and flattening process and only take five minutes to cook. There are also quick oats, which have been rolled even finer, so they can be microwaved in just two minutes.
Due to the fact that this is a mechanical process, Morgan says, there’s no appreciable difference between the oats from a nutritional value perspective, although she does point out that “the thicker the oat, the longer that it takes to digest it.” Along with bags of plain oats, Flahavan’s makes other breakfast products to “offer a choice to consumers across different ages and different lifestyles.” From granola and muesli to quick-cook sachets and high-protein pots, the variety available showcases just how versatile oats can be.
For those who are conscious of avoiding sugar in the morning, there’s also the option of going savoury. “Outside of Ireland we have a strong export market to 20 different countries, in particular the UK,” says Morgan. “In South Korea, which would be our second biggest market, consumers transition the oats into a savoury dish, using them to replace rice because they understand the nutritional benefits of oats. They would cook it with eggs, or in a stir fry, adding chilli and kimchi.”
Savoury oats are a concept that hasn’t been fully embraced by Irish consumers yet, who are more likely to bake their oats for breakfast, soak them overnight or add to fruit smoothies for an extra nutritional boost. “Oats are neutral,” points out Morgan, “which works well when you add different flavours.” This versatility is also useful when it comes to baking, particularly for coeliacs: the most popular recipe on the Flahavan’s website is the late Mary Flahavan’s porridge bread. Made with gluten-free oats, this kind of loaf is a lifesaver for many people when they have to give up gluten as it it enables them to enjoy a slice of oat-rich toast for breakfast.
To get the best from sustainable, nutritious, Irish-grown oats, it’s always good to go back to first principles: a steaming bowl of made-from-scratch porridge, using milk for extra calcium and protein and topped with fruit, nuts and seeds – rather than sugar – for an extra, nutrient-rich layer of flavour. As an alternative to ultra processed cereal in the morning, oats simply can’t be beaten.
