Next weekend we’re heading to a festival and, aiming to travel light and keep costs down, I’ve been thinking — obsessing — about what food to take.
Jonny usually has milky porridge for breakfast (which I skip) and I prefer poached eggs (too much kit for a festival), so I started looking at supermarket breakfast bars.
I quickly ruled them out — many had milk I couldn’t avoid and a long list of unpronounceable ingredients. That led me back to the kitchen to develop a homemade oaty fruity bar that would travel well and still taste great.
Usually a recipe needs a couple of tries before it’s ready to share, but this time the first batch came out perfectly. While these bars are richer in sugar and fat than an everyday snack, they’re ideal for special occasions — and a festival certainly qualifies.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do if you give them a go.
-
3
tablespoon
golden syrup -
1
tablespoon
honey -
2
tablespoon
peanut butter -
1
tablespoon
black treacle -
150
g
butter -
175
g
dried apricots
roughly chopped -
50
g
crystallised ginger
finely chopped -
100
g
pecans
roughly chopped -
400
g
oats
-
Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F / gas 5. Grease an 18 x 30 cm baking tin — if your tin is a different size, adjust the baking time accordingly.
-
In a large saucepan, heat the golden syrup, honey, peanut butter, black treacle and butter until everything is melted and combined.
-
Stir in the oats, chopped apricots, crystallised ginger and pecans until the oats are evenly coated.
-
Tip the mixture into the prepared tin, level it and press down firmly with the back of a spoon.
-
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden and fragrant.
-
Run a knife around the edges to loosen the bars, score into squares (this recipe made 16 for me) and let cool in the tin before removing and storing.