No-bake fruit, nut and seed bars

Ingredients

• 100g sultanas (or any chopped dried fruit or mixture of dried fruit)
• 30g almonds
• 20g cashew nuts
• 20g sesame seeds
• 20g pumpkin seeds
• 10g sunflower seeds
• 230g porridge oats
• 80g butter, cut in pieces
• 80g light muscovado sugar
• 100ml honey

Method

1. Grease and base line a 20cm square tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Coarsely chop the nuts.
3. Lightly toast the nuts and seeds in a non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat until just beginning to turn brown (take care not to overtoast the nuts as they will turn bitter). Leave to cool.
4. Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan over a low heat, then simmer for about two minutes, stirring all the time, until slightly thicker and syrupy.
5. Put the oats and sultanas or dried fruit into a bowl and mix well, then mix the nuts and seeds in too.
6. Stir the syrup into the dry mixture quickly and mix well.
7. Quickly tip into the tin and smooth the surface (it starts setting very quickly, so you have to work quickly at both stages).
8. With the back of a clean dry spoon press the mixture down to smooth and even out the surface.
9. Leave to cool and set, then cut into 18 bars.
10. Store in a tin or tightly covered with foil.

Good-for-you ingredients

Nuts are rich in protein, fibre and healthy fats, and contain high levels of anti-oxidants as well as vitamins and minerals.

Seeds are packed with nutrients such as protein, fibre, minerals, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.