Fruit leather

A great way of using a glut of fruit, and loved by kids and adults both. It's surprisingly easy and keeps for up to 5 months.

• 1kg of fruit
• (Apples, pears, berries, plums, whatever you've got to hand. A good combinations is 500g apples and 500g blackberries. Experiment! I like pear and rhubarb. A 50:50 mix is good.)
• Lemon juice
• Honey or sugar
• Spices (optional)

1. Prepare your fruit - peel, core, stone and chop.

2. Bring to a simmer in a large pan for 15-20 mins until soft. Some fruit might need a little water adding if it's very thick. You can also add some spice if you like - ginger is nice with pear and rhubarb, cinammon with apple, star anise etc.

3. Pass through a sieve or mouli if there are pips or seeds so you get a thick smooth puree. Otherwise you can use a hand blender or food processor. Don't forget to remove any whole spices.

4. Add lemon juice and honey/sugar to taste. How much depends on how sweet the fruit is, and personal taste. You could also add more spice at this stage.

5. Line a couple of baking trays with baking paper or microwave safe plastic wrap, and spread the puree evenly to about 1/4 inch thickness.

6. Put your oven on the lowest setting, and put the baking trays in the oven for as long as it takes for the puree to dry out (overnight or 8-12 hours should do it). The leather is ready when it is not sticky, has a smooth surface and peels away from the paper easily.

7. To store, roll it up in the baking paper and store in an airtight container.

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