Breakfast cereal is available in a packaged dry form such as Alpen, or it can be made fresh. Most warm cereals can be classified as porridges, in that they consist of cereal grains which are soaked in hot water, cooked and/or boiled to soften them and make them palatable. Sweeteners, such as brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, are often added either by the manufacturer, during cooking, or before eating. Porridge is especially popular in Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England. Porridge became important in Scotland due to the freezing winters. The Scottish people prefer porridge to be made with only water and
Cereal Partners Worldwide based in Welwyn Garden City. Cereal Partners Worldwide Cereal Partners Worldwide S.A. is a joint venture between General Mills and Nestlé, established in 1991 to produce breakfast cereals. The company is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and markets cereals in more than 130 countries (except for the U.S. and Canada, where General Mills markets the cereals directly). The company's cereals are sold under the Nestlé brand, although many originated from General Mills and some, such as Shredded Wheat and Shreddies, were once made by Nabisco. In Australia and New Zealand, some of CPW's products are sold under the Uncle Tobys brand.