Why fresh muesli?

Well, I had to give it some name. And fresh muesli sounded as good as anything.

But the inspiration comes from a small hotel we stayed at in Switzerland over the summer, where every morning we were served with fresh muesli. Not anything I'd ever eaten before, and something of a revelation. Smooth and creamy, without being too heavy. And sumptuous enough to keep us going until the afternoon.

I found a recipe for fresh muesli in a French recipe book called Cuisiner sans stress - but the list of ingredients it gave was daunting, and I doubted I would have the stamina to prepare this in the groggy hours of the morning. So, I drastically simplified the recipe, and was surprised to discover that it really hit the mark. It's very simple, very wholesome, and you can prepare it in one large batch to last quite some time. So here goes:

270g rolled oats (I use Quaker oats)
1 large (400g or so) carton Greek yoghurt
500ml orange juice

Just put everything in a big tupperware box and stir it around to combine. It takes quite a bit of stirring to get rid of all the big clumps of yoghurt. Now, and this is crucial, leave it in the fridge for at least 12 hours. If you try to eat it straight away, you'll probably never eat it again unless you have a fondness for cardboard. But overnight it transforms into a wonderful, unctuous, almost porridge-y delight.

In the morning, I put it in bowls and add a splash of milk just to thin it a little. You can then add fresh fruit, such as sliced banana, or, my preference, raisins and sliced almonds. Best not to add these the night before, as they tend to get soggy.

The quantities above yield six very generous portions. I've tried it with plain yoghurt, which also works, but Greek has the edge. Eat it and your insides will love you.