How deliciously scrumptious can home made granola be ? Well , this recipe that my son and I have devised is just that. We know exactly what has gone into it, with no addition of refined sugars and really does fill you up for the morning. I have even been known to dip into it later on in the day !

So, what makes ours so special ? we have selected all our favourite things in the quantities we like, mixing it all together with honey and maple syrup. The dates add a rich depth to every mouthful , the variety of nuts add texture and the overall crunchiness is from baking it in the oven.

So here is our recipe but you can adapt by adding anything you like or taking out what you don’t like

Gregory & mummy’s home made granola

300g jumbo oats or muesli mix ( I buy mine from a local wholefood shop)
100g each of cashews, almonds, hazelnuts ( I am not fussy whether they are flaked, halves or skinless nuts , just what ever you have to hand)
50g each of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame seeds ( we tried poppy seeds but they went every where and were hard to serve up as they got left behind in the box)
50g dessicated coconut
100g each of apricots and dates ( make sure these are pitted as I found out when I chopped them in my food processor)
A handful of mango and banana chips
Zest of an orange
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
75ml each of honey and maple syrup
30ml sunflower oil

1. Put the oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, cinnamon, mango (do chop the mango chips quite small otherwise it takes a while to chew them ) and banana chips into a large bowl, ticking of each as you go so you don’t forget anything
2. Add the chopped apricots and dates I (I find this quicker to do in my small bowl off my food processor )
3. In a small pan gently warm through the honey, maple syrup and sunflower oil, then pour this over the ingredients , stirring continually to incorporate everything together.
4. Add the vanilla extract and stir again

5. Carefully put all the mix into a shallow baking tray (mine measures 40cm x 29cm) and shake gently to level it out
6. Place in the oven at 160C gas mark 4 for approx. 30 mins. The important thing to remember here though is you must shake it gently every 10 mins. or so , so that the granola browns evenly
7. The trick is to bake it just right so that when it cools it has the right crunchiness
8. Once baked, leave it to get cold and store in a plastic box or jar
9. Serve with your favourite milk or yogurt, mine has to be almond milk and Gregory’s is natural plain yogurt