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We had an amazing holiday in Blair Atholl the other weekend, staying on an organic small holding. Waking up to chickens, ducks and cats roaming the land right outside our kitchen window- thats pretty much my idea of perfection right there. The boundless countryside, the unspeakably clear night skies, walking in fields, huddling round a wood burning stove. I am so grateful for that weekend. And even more excited by the fact that we get to return to a similar place in just a few weeks time.

What was especially nice was that we got to share the experience with two of our best friends. One of those being my sister (from another mister) Natasha. Its all too easy to forget how close we are. That kind of magical relationship where you can just babble on to someone and they know exactly what you mean. Incredible tonic for the soul those people in our lives.

The owners of the cottage provided us with some delicious fresh veggies- oh my word- Black Radish people?? What a flavour explosion that guy is! Freshly baked bread, fruits, eggs and organic muesli. Of course, the bread and muesli were out of the question for me but that did lead me and tash to a conversation about muesli.

Yup, a pretty banal topic but one that we really focused on, albeit for only a matter of seconds. It basically went like this: “What is the difference between granola and muesli?” “Well, you toast granola and muesli is raw”. Ha, simple, but it really stayed with me.

It was only when i returned home and a few days later whipped up some incredible gRAWnola that the conversation came back to me. Why had i never made my own muesli before? Its so freakin’ easy. After a wee peruse of the internet i found loads of basic, 5 second muesli recipes. But you know, i’m me, and if i can make something A: more delicious, B: more exciting and C: more nutritious, then i’m in happy B land. So thats what i set out to do.

The base of the muesli started off pretty bog standard- gluten free oats, fried fruits and seeds. A quick scan of my shelves showed that we had a couple of jars of grains and seeds that were running pretty low, as in, the perfect amount to add to the muesli. From that second on i knew this was going to be a truly awesome recipe. A magic muesli was well under way.

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I threw quinoa, millet, flax and amaranth in a jug and let them soaked in plenty of water for 18 hours then i drained, rinsed and dehydrated them for about 8 hours. I know this is not an option for most of you but you could totally dry them out in oven (at the lowest setting with the door ajar). Or even, just leave them out entirely and t5he base muesli will still rock your breakfast worlds.

Once everything was dry, i combined them all in a large jar with all the seeds and dried fruit i could get my hands on. The final flourish, the truly magical part came when i stirred in a tablespoon of vanilla pod powder. That smell- dreamy, whimsical, heavenly.

The end result is a truly royal muesli. Packed with so much goodness- protein, amino acids, vitamins, omegas. Aaaahhh, the perfect fuel for the busiest of days. Magical muesli, my love, where have you been all my life?!

For the base:

  • 2 cups Oats (gluten free preferably)
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla Powder
  • 8 dried Figs
  • 8 dried Apricots
  • 1 handful Sultanas
  • 12 dried Dates
  • 1/4 cup dried Coconut Flakes
  • 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
  • 1/4 cup Sunflower Seeds
  • 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds (i used black and white)
  • 1 tbsp Poppy Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Chia Seeds

For the many “grains”:

  • 1/2 cup Flax Seeds
  • 1/2 cup Buckwheat
  • 1/4 cup Millet
  • 1/4 cup Quinoa
  • 2 tbsp Amaranth
  1. Soak the “grains” in a large jug for a least 8 hours (overnight is easiest).
  2. Drain, rinse well and drain again
  3. Tip these onto a few sheets of a dehydrator (or oven) and dehydrate for 8 hours (i’m guessing when it comes to using an oven but maybe 2-4 hours?)
  4. Roughly chop the dried fruit into small pieces
  5. Combine everything in a large (dry) jug and mix well
  6. Store in a clean, airtight jar.