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The Wee Guide to Porridge, Deedee Cuddihy

West end author unites Marianne Faithfull, a street preacher and a uni prof in a book about porridge

What do ‘60s pop legend Marianne Faithfull, a Jehovah’s Witness in Sauchiehall Street and an Iraqui university professor have in common? They all feature in “The Wee Guide to Porridge”, a new book about Scotland’s other national dish.

Glasgow-based author, Deedee Cuddihy who has lived in the West End of the city for over 40 years, spent six months gathering information for the book and spoke to dozens of people across Scotland about their porridge experiences – bad and good – almost 100 of which are included in “The Wee Guide to Porridge”.

Said Deedee: “It was a surprise to find Marianne Faithfull praising porridge as the food that has never let her down. Like a number of the people I spoke to, she eats hers with maple syrup which might come as a shock to the die-hard traditionalists who told me that the only thing you should take with your porridge is salt.”

Although several people featured in the book spoke of traumatic childhood experiences that had put them off porridge for life, others said they liked porridge so much they often ate it twice a day.

“The Wee Guide to Porridge” is available, priced £6, from selected book stores, gift shops and the author’s website: www.funnyscottishbooks.co.uk

(Note: The author didn’t actually get to speak to Marianne Faithfull; the info about her love of porridge came from a recent interview in the Guardian. However, more than a few of the anecdotes featured in “The Wee Guide to Porridge” were contributed by Glasgow West Enders. )

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