Top banana

Just a little note about a new (to me) ingredient. I actually know a good number of people who find bananas and their smell in particular quite offensive, and who would be wrinkling their noses in disgust right now just at that picture above. If you're one of theirs, move along - there's nothing to see here!

For those still reading, I don't know about you, but I've only ever come across those hard glazed banana chips before - bananas + oil + sugar. Then I was picking up ingredients for muesli the other day and came across these (from Tropical Wholefoods, a fairtrade company), which are just dried banana and nothing else. So I gave them a go, and am quite smitten. They're incredibly banana-y. Great chopped up in muesli (I tend to chuck in whatever I have to hand - a mixture of grains, always loads of toasted seeds and coconut, then some dried fruit and maybe nuts), I think they would also go quite nicely in a muffin, with toffee maybe, or pecan. And good for no-sugar snacks (although I realise all dried fruits have pretty high natural sugars, I guess they still have most of their nutrients and much better to scoff a handful of these with some nuts than a Kit Kat).

I got mine from a local organic shop, but apparently they're sold in Boots and Morrisons too.