All recipes

Dates and raisins

Sulphite-free dried fruit

Dates and raisins
Photo: stu_spivack, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons · a similar dish

Ingredients

For 4 servings. 1 serving = 1 adult; a 6-year-old eats about half.

  • Raisins (sulphite-free)60 g
  • Dates (pitted)80 g

You need

  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Sharp knife and chopping board
  • Jars and lidded containers
  • Lunchboxes with ice bricks

Method

  1. Ahead (Sunday): check both packets say sulphite-free, with no preservative numbers 220–228 on the label.
  2. Weigh 80 g dates and 60 g raisins into each small snack tub, one tub per school day.
  3. For under-3s, cut each date into small pieces (quarters at least) so it is not a choking risk.
  4. Lid the tubs and keep them in a cool cupboard. They keep well for the whole week. Drop one into the lunchbox each morning.

Tips

  • Dried fruit sticks to teeth. A drink of water after it helps.

Make it easier

  • Weekend: Portion dates and raisins into the week's snack tubs.

Keeping and freezing

  • Fridge: keeps 3 days in a lidded box. Cool it within an hour of cooking.
  • Freezer: does not freeze well; eat within the fridge time.

Good to know

  • Asthma: buy raisins (sulphite-free), dates (pitted) without sulphites (220–228).