Some of my happiest Christmases have been spent camping in the middle of nowhere. With limited resources and no refrigeration, food wasn’t always the highlight, but these oven-dried strawberries packed a punch.

Oven-dried strawberries

Wash and pat dry a couple of punnets of organic (splash out – it’s Christmas after all) strawberries. Cut strawberries into 1 centimetre slices and place on a wire rack. (I use cake racks on a baking tray.) 70 – 90C is ideal for drying fruit but the time needed to fully dry them will vary depending on the moisture content, type of oven and size you cut them. If sliced finely enough, my fan forced oven at 75C usually takes 3.5 to 4 hours. Some fruit will take longer. Be patient and keep the heat on a very low setting.

Before

The strawberries will shrink and intensify in flavour. When dry to touch, remove them from the oven and cover with a clean tea towel until cold. Make sure the fruit is absolutely dry before adding to your muesli mix, as moisture may cause mould to grow.

After a couple of hours in the oven

Christmas muesli

1 part dried strawberries (you can skip this step and just use other store bought red dried fruit)
1 part shaved coconut
1 part raw pistachio nuts
5 parts rolled oats

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl then decant into an airtight container. To utilise the nutrients well, it is best to soak raw muesli in your choice of milk, water or juice before eating, until the oats soften.

If you don’t want a red/green/white themed muesli – try this simple recipe packed full of calcium.

This recipe is vegan/vegetarian and a great way to start the day.

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