Celebrated Granola

Granola would be nice. But organic granola is expensive. And ethically-sourced, organic granola is very expensive. Ethically-sourced, organic, sugar-and-honey-free granola? Forget about it, pal. What are you, a celebrity? Are you celebrated? You're not? No fancy granola for you. Have our sugary, unethical granola or get lost. That's the way things are. Don't get clever.

But help is at hand, in the form of your cleverness. Yes, that's right. You always knew granola was over-priced. But you accepted it because the packaging is pretty and partially transparent and you can see the clusters and so it must be worth five times its weight in oats. Not so. Give your own granola a try. You can source all the ingredients locally and to your preference, so you know exactly what's going in.

Instead of refined sugar, I mixed barley malt syrup and some other natural sweeteners (I had some maple syrup to hand - hey, big spender!) with some oats and vegetable oil. I threw in some sunflower seeds and nuts (and a hint of some spices) and mixed it all up till I got a cluster-like consistency. Or something close to it. Spread this evenly on a baking tray and bake for a while till you're happy. Just in general. It's important to be happy. Then check on your oats. They're done! Great. Add some raisins to the mix (don't bake them as they'll burn) and bam. You have a lovely granola. Serve as a cereal or with yoghurt or just on its own and realise that you are happier than any celebrity. You have just made your own granola and that is to be celebrated.

Home-made Granola and Soy Milk

- Dara