Something that I love about granola is that it is healthy, nutty, delicious and it brings an element of splendour to your breakfast. I must confess that I don’t like raisins, so being able to make my own granola has been more than fabulous. I substituted raisins for dried mangoes, not bad hey! Not liking raisins and loving mangoes instead is certainly not the only reason why making your own granola is much better than buying it. I personally like to be generous with the nuts and I love the crunchy texture of this particular version. When I put it in the oven my flat was filled with a beautiful cinnamon scent that made me feel warm and at home. It has been 2 years since I moved to Edinburgh and having that feeling was just great. Home is where your oven heart is isn’t it?

90ml water

90ml sunflower oil

135ml honey

Generous tsp ground cinnamon

Scant tsp salt 340g jumbo oats

80g whole skin-on almonds + a few hazelnuts + a few macadamias

90g sunflower seeds

90g pumpkin seeds

100g dried mangoes, sliced if they are too big

Heat the oven to 160°C.

Put in the water, oil, honey, cinnamon and salt in a small saucepan and heat it till the honey (you can also use sugar) dissolves. Measure out the oats, almonds and seeds into the largest possible baking tray. Mix in the syrup thoroughly. Spread out the mixture evenly. Bake for 35 minutes altogether. Half way through, take the granola out of the oven, break up any lumps and mix it around. At the end, turn off the oven, prop the door slightly ajar, and leave for 15 minutes. When the granola comes out of the oven, thoroughly mix it again, adding the mangoes.