All About Oats

If we look back into history, the origin of cultivated oats is very hard to find. Oat grains have been found with archaeological remains in all parts of England. Numerous Celtic, old Nordic and old Germanic names for oats point to its very old and central function in ancient nutrition.

Oats are historically an important food for horses and as a result they played a pivotal role in medieval Britain and were the largest crop in the country up until the 2nd World War. As the car steadily replaced the horse and further developments were made in the milling of other cereals, Oats steadily declined as a crop and now only make up a small fraction of the British farming landscape.

Having said that the UK grows (and dare we say mills!) some of the finest Oats in the world. Oats like plenty of rain and long hours of sunlight in the summer, as a result the best growing areas are in the northern and southern parts of the globe mainly North America, Scandinavia, Russia, Australia and right here in Great Britain.

The oat plant grows up to around 1 metre high and each stem carries about 20-25 grains called oats, each grain is partially enclosed in thin papery husks (or chaff). Oat varieties differ markedly in appearance and characteristics; the colour of the grain for example may be white, golden, black or grey and, as a result of crossing, in between colours are common.

Of all the many cereals which are available to us today, oats still stand out for their natural goodness and many diverse uses. We hope to continue to support this wonderful crop for many more generations to come.