For thousands of years in the depths of winter, nuts have been regarded as bearers of good fortune. The Romans would spread nuts on the ground during their pagan festivities while the game of ‘nut scrambling’ was popular in Elizabethan England as children raced to gather nuts that had been strewn on the snow covered ground to bring them good luck in the coming year. Nuts are as much a part of a modern Christmas as they have always been, even if children today would be slightly disappointed to find a gift of nuts in their yuletide stocking rather than the latest high-tech gadget.
Popular nuts at this time of year include walnuts, pecans, macadamias and cashews which all form part of the Rollagranola range of healthy nuts and seeds. Why not treat yourself to a mixture of festive nuts and add your own dried fruit to create a great snack to enjoy while watching all the repeats on festive tv?
Nuts, of course, are at the very heart of good granola and the beauty of good granola lies in its versatility. With a little bit of tweaking it is easy to give a festive twist to your favourite granola enabling it to ooze with traditional Christmas tastes and smells. Our own Awesome Almond Granola contains many of these ingredients including cranberries, cashews and cinnamon. To make it even more special you can crumble gingerbread over the top or take our Organic & Nutty Granola and spread mandarin orange segments and cranberries on top. A simple and deeply satisfying way to get the big day off to a great start.
Many of us become guilty at our over indulgence during the festivities and use the New Year to start a diet or establish a healthier lifestyle. This may only last a few days, of course, before the temptation of old habits becomes too much but the versatility of granola can play a major role here as well. It is well known that sugar-free granola is one of the healthiest breakfasts on the planet. Making it a daily part of your life in 2021 could be the best present that you could give yourself.