Alice’s fruity fridge flapjacks

This unbaked, dairy-free flapjack is from Alice Meller, wife of Gill, head chef at River Cottage. It’s now a firm favourite in our house. Makes 15-18.

100g dates, stoned
100g prunes
2 ripe or slightly over-ripe medium bananas, peeled
150g honey
2 tbsp coconut oil
325g porridge oats or jumbo oats
100g raisins, currants or dried cranberries
100g dried apricots, finely chopped
25g each of shelled hemp seeds, linseeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds (or 100g of whichever seedy mix you like)

Put the dates, prunes, bananas, honey and coconut oil in the bowl of a food processor. Add two tablespoons of water and blitz the lot until you have a thick, fruit-flecked purée.

In a large bowl, combine the oats with the raisins, apricots and all the seeds. Stir in the puréed fruit mix and combine well.

Line a shallow baking tray, about 20cm x 30cm, with baking parchment or clingfilm. Tip in the fruity, oaty mixture and gently press it out as even and level as you can.

Transfer to the fridge for two to three hours, to set, then turn out and slice into bars. Keep the flapjacks in in a sealed Tupperware box in the fridge.

WARMED FRUIT SALAD

bananas
dried apricots
prunes
sultanas
grapefruit (opt)
3 Tab honey
1 cup orange juice
grated orange rind

Heat the honey, then add to the orange juice.
Put fruit in an ovenproof dish, pour liquid over.
Warm fruit in slow oven
Serve hot or cold with a dob of cream if desired.