Outside the box - take II

and third,

This is an adaptable recipe, whether the children are making it, in which case you'd probably want to use milk chocolate, or for adults when you'd opt for plain chocolate.

You can swap and change your “handfuls” of ingredients to suit your own taste. Sour cherries work really well with plain chocolate. Pistachio nuts and pecan nuts are also really yummy.

If you wanted more ideas you could have a glance at the Design your own Rocky Road list.

If you live in Northamptonshire and know of the Daily Bread Co-operative (Bedford Road, Northampton NN4 7AD) they sell a fantastic selection of dried fruits not to mention gazillions of other products. Definitely worth a visit.

Chocolate Bark

Handful of chopped dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots and toasted, roughly chopped hazelnuts.

Line a baking sheet with clingfilm. (Baking sheet should be approximately 30cm x 18cm) You will find the clingfilm easier to control if you oil the baking sheet.

Break 300g of dark or milk chocolate into pieces and put in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Melt.

When the chocolate has melted pour it onto the clingfilmed sheet.

Scatter over the fruit and nuts. Wear a disposable glove and very gently ease the fruit and nuts into the chocolate.

Leave to set for 4 hours before breaking into chards.

You can use any combination of fruit and nuts to suit your taste.

Last, but by no means least,

Chocolate Hokey-Pokey

75g unsalted butter

100g pecan halves, roughly chopped

sea salt flakes

300g dark chocolate

2 tbsp golden syrup

3 x 40g Crunchie bars

Heat a small knob of butter in a pan and when foaming, tip in the pecans with a pinch of sea salt flakes. Stir over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes or till toasted – you will smell them when they are ready. Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt, in a medium pan, with the rest of the butter and the syrup, stirring. Once the chocolate mixture is smooth, take the pan off the heat. Bash the Crunchie bars (in the wrappers – less messy!). Add the Crunchie pieces, along with the toasted pecans, to the chocolate mixture. Gently mix together before transferring to an 18cm round or square foil tray (or cake tin if you prefer to wash-up!)

Leave to set in the fridge. Once set, remove from the tray and cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into seven or eight angular chunks.

Taken from 'The Camper Van Coast'

by Martin Dorey

I've used the toasted salted pecans in the first part of this recipe in others, for example, as a topping for the toffee apple crumble. You could also chop them, pop in a screw top jar and use as a sprinkle over ice cream.

Hope there's at least one of these four that you'll find useful and tasty!

Happy holidays.