The Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook | Peanut Butter and Honey Granola

When I was a boy, my parents would often read me stories from The Railway Series. Save for nightmarish visions of poor old Henry being entombed in a tunnel as a punishment for his rain-related vanity (“That’ll learn him,” cackled the Fat Controller), the thing that’s stuck with me most about them is that proud old green engine needing special Welsh coal to be able to run properly. This is probably because I have my own special coal, you see, better known to most folk simply as “oats”.

And, fortunately, my favourite oat-based meal just happens to be preposterously cheap to make and wonderfully nutritious.







300g natural rolled oats [75p per 1kg, so 23p)
100g crunchy peanut butter  [89p for 340g, so 26p]
80g clear honey [99p for 340g, so 23p]
100g raisins [£1.29 per 500g, so 26p]
70g crunchy trail seed mix [49p]
1tbsp (8g) cinnamon [41p per 37g, so 9p)  TOTAL COST TO MAKE ONE BATCH (620G): 
£0.23 + £0.26 + £0.23 + £0.26 + £0.49 + £0.09 = £1.56
TOTAL COST PER 100G: £0.25






ONEPre-heat the oven to 180°c.
TWOMix the peanut butter and honey in a pan and heat until warm. Be careful to ensure that the mixture does not burn or boil away – it just needs to be warm and well-mixed.
THREEPour the oats into the pan and stir until they are fully coated in the mixture.
FOURScrape the honey-nut oats into a baking tray and, using the reverse of your spoon, flatten them down to approximately 1cm thick.
FIVEBake in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
SIXThis is the most crucial step. Remove the baking tray from the oven and, resisting the urge to smash it up and wolf it down straight away, set it down somewhere for at least 15 minutes.
SEVENTake a metal spoon and “dig” out approximately half the granola, placing it in a plastic cereal box.
EIGHTPour the raisins and seeds into the plastic cereal box too. Chopped-up brazil nuts also mix in well (but these aren’t accounted for in the nutritional information provided above).
NINEClose its lid and then shake the cereal box.
TENUsing your metal spoon, “dig” out the remaining granola and place it in the plastic cereal box before repeating step nine vigorously.
ELEVENPour a 100g portion into a big bowl and, if you wish, add milk/soya milk. Enjoy!