Had a lovely day yesterday afternoon. The U3A budget cookery group came round and we did some puddings. We started off with Delia’s Chocolate Roulade, then Oaty Apple Crumble, Easy Cheesecakes and Chocolate Ice Cream. With a detour via making garlicky Boursin using value soft cheese and a miso tasting along the way.

Todays recipe is hardly a recipe at all. I first included it in the No Power Plan, but then it got changed. I tried an experiment using oats and dried mixed fruit, soaking it in milk overnight. It was nice, and very edible,  in an unspectacular kind of way. You could do this and maybe add a handful of strawberries or raspberries, or some rhubarb compote with fruit from the garden, that would make it more special.

I also use a Rose Elliott recipe for Bircher muesli which is really good. I’ll post that one soon. It isn’t a cheap breakfast, but it is very good.

Muesli
1kg value oats, 75p
500g value mixed dried fruit, 95p
Total cost £1.70 for 1.5kg of muesli

100g = 348 cals, 8g protein, 3g fat, 63g carbs, 6g fibre and 11p

50g serving with 120ml semi skim milk = 227 cals, 8g protein, 5g fat, 36g carbs,  3g fibre and 9p

Simply mix the two together and store in an airtight container.

The value brand muesli in Asda is £1.18 a kg pack, so £1.77 for this amount. It might be appealing to control what’s in your muesli, it isn’t worth it for the cost if compared to the value brands. If you want to create something unique, definitely have a go. It could also of course be organic, or vegan, if that is important to you. Most manufactured muesli contains milk powder.

You could add all sorts of things, tiny pieces of crystalised ginger, chocolate chips or maltesers, allbran, dried apple pieces, or apricot, cranberry or cherries. Or fruit from the garden you’ve dried yourself. Fine chopped pieces of walnut, hazelnut, brazils or almonds. Sunflower, pumpkin or sesame seeds. Other cereal grains, like barley flakes, a few jumbo oats, bran flakes, rice crispies or corn flakes. You can truly make it your own, and I have done this, with great success.