Orchard spread

Useful source of vitamin C.

Make a spiced prune spread by replacing the dried pears and peaches with 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) prunes and using orange juice instead of apple juice. Omit the mixed spice and instead add the seeds from 3 crushed green cardamom pods. * For a vanilla peach spread, replace the dried pears with additional dried peaches and use orange juice instead of apple juice. Omit the mixed spice and include a vanilla pod in the mixture while it simmers. * Other combinations to try include apples and dried cranberries flavoured with finely grated orange zest, and apples and prunes flavoured with ground ginger and very finely diced pieces of stem ginger.

Apples are a good source of soluble fibre (pectin), and they provide vitamin C. * Dried peaches are a good source of potassium. They also provide useful amounts of iron, carotenes and the B vitamin niacin. * Both dried peaches and dried pears are good sources of fibre. * The sweetness of fresh fruit is concentrated in their dried forms, so spreads such as this need no additional sugar to make them as sweet as commercial jams and preserves. Ordinary jam can have about 70 per cent sugar, which weight for weight is double the amount of sugar in this spread. breakfast Orchard spread.