Nothing like sending some of us off to consult our Charles Dickens cookbooks. I had always thought porridge and gruel were synonomous. Geography explains the timeliness, since it's near dead of winter where you live. How cold is it there?
We're having a cold snap right now in Brisbane. It's been down to 0C / 32F where I am in the western suburbs at night. It's usually 45F - to 50F at night and around 70F to 75F days that are dry and sunny.
The southern states are getting snow in the mountains. No global warming here.