Great Granola

For months we have been trying to get Sous Chef J to eat more ... and breakfast has been a particular challenge.  So, it was lovely to be contacted and asked if we'd be interested in trying a couple of new Gluten Free Granola products by Nature's Path.




First off we tried the Nice and Nobbly Granola with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries with yogurt chunks... and Sous Chef J chose to have this with some fresh strawberries, nectarines and double cream. 

He said it was 'crunchy and tasty' and particularly like the 'fruity bits'. 

The pumpkin seed, almonds, raisins and cinnamon version of the granola is also dairy free and Sous Chef J likes it as an 'anytime snack'... by the handful.

Although it doesn't mention it on the front, my detective Sous Chef noticed, when weighing out a 30g 'portion', that there was "another something" in the mix... reading the ingredients list, it was found to be dried cranberries, and discovered there's also coconut.  It smells divine and tastes good too!

Having had the granola to try, Sous Chef J has been on the look out when we've been shopping and he's now spotted them in Waitrose and Tesco but we're told it's also available in Sainsbury's and online at Ocado. 

The granola is packaged in a re-sealable pouch and retails at £3.49 for 312g.

DISCLOSURE - we were sent two packets of granola to try but have not been paid for this post.  These opinions are our own.

Berry Bonanza (with Chocolate!)

Finally, we woke up to find the sunshining and blue skies here in the UK.  Having tried, and failed, to go "Pick Your Owning" last weekend, we decided it was worth another try today.

Once at the local farm, we were not disappointed with the rows and rows of raspberries and strawberries waiting to be picked.  We split into two groups so B and Sous Chef J went to pick raspberries and I went in search of strawberries.  It is great that strawberries are now grown about a metre off the ground in an irrigated bag system.  The fruits literally drop off the plants - no grovelling around in mud and straw to locate an unblemished specimen these days!

The haul we had in less than ten minutes of picking was 2.5kg strawberries and a kilo of raspberries.  Once home, the challenge was what to do with them.  Obviously, some didn't make it home, some were eaten on arrival and we did  a 'healthy' chocolate fondue with some more.

For the fondue (a favourite "dish" of Sous Chef J) we used a few pieces of an Aldi Swiss chocolate bar, heated in the fondue and then dipped in a selection of goodies.  This time, as well as the berries, we used cashews and walnut pieces for dipping.... but you can use sliced bananas, nectarine pieces, chopped kiwi fruit, marshmallows, dried fruit and so on.

Sadly, Sous Chef J was more keen on eating than taking a picture of the dipping... so here's a shot of the fondue once he'd finished!