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Covent Garden: 26 Grains – London’s Perfect Porridge

Forget lumpy childhood porridge experiences. 26 Grains takes oat cuisine to a whole new level!

Inspired by Scandinavian cooking during a year in Copenhagen, Alex Hely-Hutchinson has honed her porridge making down to a fine art. Using a selection of 26 grains sourced from the best producers, the cafe provides delicious homegrown “hygge” in an Instagram-able bowl.

Open 8am to 5pm most days, its super handy for the shops of Covent Garden or a theatre matinee.

The setting

26 Grains is on a corner in the Covent Garden hotspot of Neal’s Yard. It’s open fronted, cosy and in demand with tourists and local workers.

When we visited for a 10 am breakfast, only one table was free.

Indoor is intimate and candle lit, whereas the outdoor tables are in prime position in pretty Neal’s Yard. Half of the café is taken up with the bar and porridge hobs where the friendly staff make porridge fresh to order. It’s welcoming and well worth the wait.

The little things

The pretty presentation. Never has porridge looked so appetising.

The green juice test

26 Grains has a choice of two smoothies. Berry with frozen berries and oat milk or Green. We went Green and loved the mix of apple, spinach, cucumber, avocado, celery, ginger, mint and lemon. A fab combo with a big hit of mint.

What we ate

The colourful porridge selection is seasonal. We went for the signature Anna Jones x 26 Grains. Anna is a cook, stylist and writer.

We love a food collab!

A yummy mix of baked apple and maple cream with almond milk oats, hazelnuts and almonds and chai. It was so good we need to return soon to try the other options of Banana Cacao, Nordic Pear, Plum and Bay and Hazelnut and Butter…

As well as porridge, there’s also a smoothie bowl and a Bircher muesli, plus staples like avo or egg on toast. More savoury options are available after 12. To finish, we couldn’t resist the Turmeric latte with warming cinnamon and black pepper.

The bill

Porridge £5.60-6.00
Green Smoothies £4.50
Turmeric Latte £4.00

What else?

Everything is available as a take-away. 26 Grains holds monthly porridge making evenings. And there’s a cook book.

What made us glow?

The best porridge we’ve ever eaten…