Choose jumbo wholegrain oat flakes if you’re making overnight oats at home and can keep them chilled while you travel; fine flakes are a good choice for porridge prepared before you set off. A portion pack saves you measuring, but check how it needs to be prepared. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, people with coeliac disease should only eat oats bearing the official Crossed Grain symbol.
If you want to prepare a cold meal at home, jumbo flakes are one option: Albert Heijn gives an overnight oats preparation time of 8 hours for its jumbo wholegrain oats. Take your prepared jar with you chilled; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping picnic food cool.
Preparing porridge at home means you won’t need to find somewhere to cook in the park. Albert Heijn gives a short cooking time for its fine wholegrain flakes; check the pack for your chosen variety to see how it needs to be prepared.
For people with coeliac disease, the words ‘wholegrain oats’ aren’t enough. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends only eating oats bearing the official Crossed Grain symbol; check the allergen information on the pack too.
First, decide whether you want to take your oats along cold, prepare them at home or make them at your picnic spot. Then check the ingredients and allergen information on the pack you’ve chosen.
Choose these if: you’re making overnight oats in advance; Albert Heijn gives a preparation time of 8 hours for its jumbo flakes.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to keep the prepared jar chilled, including while you travel, especially in warm weather.
Choose these if: you want to cook your porridge at home before setting off; Albert Heijn gives a short cooking time for its fine flakes.
Bear in mind: taking hot food to the park means you’ll need a suitable way to transport your prepared porridge.
Choose these if: you don’t want to measure out a portion yourself; Quaker describes Oats Express Naturel as individually portioned.
Bear in mind: a portion is only practical at your picnic spot if you have access to the facilities needed to prepare it.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredients | Check that wholegrain oats are listed as an ingredient and review the nutritional information per 100 g, including sugars. | If you want to choose what to add to your porridge, you’ll want a simple, recognisable base rather than a bar or prepared mix. This is the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Preparation | Check the instructions for cold or hot preparation and what facilities you’ll need. | If you’ll be eating your meal in the park, you’ll want to know whether it can be prepared in advance or needs to be made there. Ease of preparation is the top priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Packaging | Compare the pack weight and see whether the contents are already divided into portions. | If you’ll be eating oats on several occasions, you’ll want a pack that suits how much you use and store. This is the most important factor for around 21% of consumers. |
| Gluten-free suitability | If you have coeliac disease, look for the official Crossed Grain symbol and check the allergen information. | If you need to eat strictly gluten-free, you’ll need to confirm the oats are suitable before taking them with you. This is the deciding factor for around 14% of consumers. |
A bar, biscuit or ready-made mix is a different product from plain oat flakes. Seeing oats on the front of the pack doesn’t tell you what other ingredients it contains.
If you’re looking for a base you can customise, read the ingredients list and make sure you’re buying porridge oats rather than a snack.
A prepared jar containing milk or yoghurt needs to be kept at a safe temperature while you travel. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre warns that bacteria are more likely to grow in warm weather if food isn’t kept cool.
Prepare the jar in the fridge, seal it well and take it with you in a cool bag or use another reliable way to keep it chilled.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oat products can be contaminated with gluten. ‘Wholegrain’ or a short ingredients list therefore doesn’t prove that a product is suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
If you have coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol and read the allergen information on the current pack.
Albert Heijn describes its own-brand fine and jumbo wholegrain oat flakes as coming in 500 g packs.
Jumbo offers its own-brand fine and jumbo wholegrain porridge oats in a range of pack sizes.
Golden Bridge is ALDI’s own brand, offering fine and jumbo wholegrain porridge oats.
Quaker describes both Havermout Original and Oats Express Naturel as available in individual portions.
Albert Heijn’s product page describes Brinta Havermout 450 g as porridge oats made with extra-fine flakes.
Take a look at these packs if you’re planning to prepare porridge oats for a picnic. For each variety, check the ingredients and preparation instructions to see whether it’s suitable for making at home or using the facilities at your picnic spot.
Image unavailable
If you want to take this Express variety with you, check whether you can prepare it at home or at your picnic spot according to the pack instructions.
Pack weight: 324 g. Check the pack to see whether the contents are individually portioned, and read the allergen information.
Image unavailable
A pack to consider if you want to prepare porridge at home before setting off and measure out several portions from one pack.
Pack weight: 600 g. Check the ingredients, allergens and preparation instructions for this variety.
Image unavailable
If you want to make porridge at home for your picnic, check the preparation instructions for this smaller Quaker pack.
Joybuy’s product information lists 100% wholegrain oats as an ingredient and says the product may contain barley and wheat. If you have coeliac disease, don’t assume it’s suitable unless it bears the official Crossed Grain symbol.
Image unavailable
Considering this Zonnatura variety for a picnic? First, check which cereals are listed in the ingredients and how it should be prepared.
Pack weight: 500 g. Check the allergen information too, and make sure the preparation method fits your plans.
No. According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oats are suitable for people with coeliac disease only if the pack bears the official Crossed Grain symbol. You should also read the current ingredients and allergen information.
Yes, as long as you keep them chilled while storing and transporting them. Albert Heijn gives a preparation time of 8 hours for its jumbo wholegrain oat flakes; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping picnic food cool, especially in warm weather.
Choose according to how you plan to prepare them: Albert Heijn gives overnight oats instructions for its jumbo wholegrain flakes and describes a short cooking time for its fine flakes. Check the instructions on the pack you actually buy.
Read the ingredients list and any other allergen statements on the pack, not just the text on the front. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the mandatory labelling of 14 allergens; the word ‘wholegrain’ on its own says nothing about whether a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet.
