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With Easter just around the corner and the smell of hot cross buns in the air we wanted to remind you of the broad range of vine fruits we can offer for your seasonal products.
Vine fruits such as raisins and sultanas have popular and universal appeal due their tasty, nutritious and versatile nature.
Full of flavour, plump and juicy, our vine fruits are sourced from the warm climates of Turkey and South Africa.
Our sultanas and raisins are available in a range of vibrant colours from pale gold, through bright red ‘crimson’ raisins, to the rich burnt umber tones of ‘Flame’ and almost black ‘Midnight Beauty’.
Whether your product would benefit from a specific colour or size of fruit, talk to us as there is probably a vine fruit that will suit.
And don’t miss our development chef Michelle’s delicious recipe at the bottom, elevating the humble hot cross bun into a taste sensation thanks to the addition of a Portuguese pastel de nata custard. With customers seeking fresh takes on old favourites, this recipe elevates a traditional English treat to a new level.
A range of grape varieties are used to create our raisins which are picked and dried for three weeks, this natural process creating the luxurious sweet taste and rich dark colour as they dry. They tend to have a darker colour than sultanas, which are dipped to reduce drying time, giving a softer texture and lighter colour.
Vine fruits are delicious and nutritious, being a rich source of antioxidants to help protect the body against chronic inflammation and improve cardiovascular health. They are also full of potassium, which contributes to maintaining healthy blood pressure, and fibre to support gut health.
They are versatile too – eaten on their own as a sweet snack, served as a salad topper, combined with savoury dishes or added to baked goods, as well as being a popular choice for cakes, granola bars and cookies due to the natural sweetness they bring. In addition to standard sultanas and raisins, we also supply a range of fancy vine fruits that come in various colours.
These fruits are available as whole fruit but we can also support your manufacturing processes by blending vine fruit with other fruits and nuts, producing a fruit paste and soaking to increase the moisture content.
1.Preheat oven to 180⁰C/160 ⁰C Fan/ 350⁰F/gas 4.
2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowls, add cream, milk, vanilla essence and 2 tbs (25g) caster sugar, whisk until smooth.
3.Grease a 6 deep muffin tin with butter and coat with sugar, tap gently and tip any excess sugar back into a small bowl for later – this will give a caramelised outside edge.
4.Slice each hot cross bun into 4 rounds and butter them on one side, take the bottom and one of middle pieces and dip into the custard mix, then layer up the edges of each muffin bun pit, covering the base and the sides. Tear some of the slices to fit snugly into the tin to fill any gaps.
5.Scatter in half of the chocolate eggs (or snap in chocolate) sprinkle on half of the vine fruit, then dip the hot cross bun middle and tops into the custard, lay them on top and press down.
6.Pour over the remaining custard and sprinkle with rest of mini eggs, vine fruit. Add the hot cross bun top, leave to soak for 5 minutes.
7.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set. Allow the muffins to rest for 10 minutes, then carefully slide out on to a serving plate.
8.Serve with cream, custard or ice cream if you like, or delicious cold too if you have any left over.
45 minutes
3 large eggs
150ml whole milk
150ml double cream
30g caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla essence
50g raisins, sultanas or dried fruit of choice
6 hot cross buns
60g unsalted butter
30g Mini Eggs (broken into pieces) or any leftover Easter egg
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Registered Office: Pudding Lane, Spalding,
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