Simple to make granola, perfect for using up leftovers…

I love learning to make something like granola, something that seems really complicated but is, in actual fact, really easy. There are all sorts of different recipes for granola, some healthier than others, but once you’ve mastered the basics, you can improvise a bit – adding in favourite things or odds and ends that need using up (quite my favourite kind of cooking). My amounts aren’t very precise a) life is too short for measuring things – and b) because it doesn’t really matter too much how much you add of everything, just make sure you have a main base of oats – then just add all your favourite things in.

For my granola I threw into a bowl a good handful/half cup full of:

• chopped and flaked almonds
• chia seeds
• pumpkin seeds
• dried, chopped figs
• dried, chopped apricots

Then I sieved a big cup of oats (sieving helps get rid of dust which burns in the oven), and added that to the mix. I followed this with a generous sprinkling of ground nutmeg and ground cinnamon.

Meanwhile I had been gently melting coconut oil, agave syrup, honey, pomegranate molasses, vanilla essence and butter in a saucepan, before pouring it into the mixture, slowly stirring until all the ingredients were coated in the sticky syrup. (You don’t have to use all these ingredients. Just coconut oil, or honey would be fine, but I like the depth of flavours this gives.)

Spread the mixture out across a baking tray lined with baking parchment, then bake in the oven at 180C for about ten minutes before taking out, stirring around to get an even bake and returning to the oven for another 7-10 mins. Repeat as needed, until the oats are golden. Don’t worry that they’re not crisp when they come out of the oven, they’ll crisp up as they cool.

Once the granola has cooled, add in raisins, cranberries and any other dried fruit that you like, stir and pop in an airtight container. It should keep for a couple of months.

Have with milk and Greek yoghurt in the morning.