Take a knife (a 'spurtle' is the proper utensil) in the right hand, and some Scotch, or coarse, oatmeal in the left hand, and sprinkle the meal in gradually, stirring it briskly all the time; if any lumps form draw them to the side of the pan and crush them out.

When the porridge is sufficiently thick (the degree of thickness must be regulated by individual taste), draw the pan back a little, _put on the lid_, and let the contents simmer gently till wanted; if it can have two hours' simmering, all the better; but in hundreds of families in Scotland and the North of England it is served when it has boiled for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour; less oatmeal is required when it can boil a long time, because the simmering swells the oatmeal, and so makes it go twice as far.

During the boiling the porridge must be stirred frequently to keep it from sticking to the saucepan and burning, but each time this is done the lid must be put on again.

When it is done enough it should be poured into a basin or upon a plate, and served hot with sugar or treacle and milk or cream.

The very best method that can be adopted for making porridge is to soak the coarse Scotch oatmeal in water for _twelve hours_, or more (if the porridge is wanted for breakfast it may be put into a pie-dish over night, and left till morning).