Makes 12 bars

- 225g organic rolled oats

- 55g mixed raisins

- 25g roasted almonds

- 55g soft apricots

- 25g dried sliced bananas

- 115g light brown muscavado sugar

- 55g golden syrup

- 170ml cold-pressed organic sunflower oil

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Mix the oats and the raisins. Cut the almonds, apricots and bananas into raisin-sized chunks and mix into the oats.

Put the sugar into a medium-sized saucepan, adding the syrup and then the oil. Set over a low heat and stir until the sugar has become much less granular. Take care not to let the oil get too hot — it just needs to be warm, as the sugar won’t amalgamate with the oil and you don’t want it to burn. Stir in the oat mixture and tip into a 30cm x 20cm nonstick baking tray. Spread evenly and pat firmly into the tray.

Bake for 15 minutes or until pale gold. Remove from the oven and, when it begins to firm up, cut into 12 bars. Leave until cold, remove from the tray and place on kitchen paper to soak up excess oil before wrapping individually and storing chilled.

Times Recommends

• Gordon Brown’s favourite pud
• Five-spice butternut soup
• How to make popcorn and crisps