Nuts?

Pretani

I'm looking to buy a selection of tasty nuts for Christmas to offer the guests. I've got KP honey roasted and cashew nuts in mind. Can anyone recommend any others and possibly the brand. I've tasted salted sunflower seeds in America and they were tasty, haven't seen them sold in the stores here.

....and if anyone knows what you call the hot nuts you get in the pub, could you tell us.

Cheers:T

competitionscafe

I make my own honey roasted hot nuts - I just buy whole hazelnuts (blanched/skinless) and cashew nuts, put them on a baking tray with a tiny bit of groundnut or sunflower oil, generous sprinkling of salt, give it a good shake to distribute the oil and salt, drizzle runny honey in a very thin drizzle on top and place under a hot grill. Shake them a bit from time to time to turn them over and prevent sticking. Watch them like a hawk though as the time between nicely caramelised and burnt is mere seconds.

Drain on paper towel then put into a bowl straight away (or they stick to the kitchen towel!) and serve warm (but can be served cold too)

People are always amazed at how simple they are when I serve these and they are so quick and easy. If you like them hot and spicy you could use some cayenne pepper instead of honey or use smoked paprika for a smoky flavour. I like the sweet and salty contrast with the honey and salt though.

If you buy nuts from a supermarket, they are usually cheaper in the baking section than in the nuts/wholefood section and often cheaper in bulk (eg in Waitrose cashew nuts are half the price per kg if you buy a 1kg bag compared to 100g bags).

If you want a ready made option the 99p bags of chilli peanuts sold in M&S are quite nice.
Munchy seeds (sold in Lakeland and some supermarkets) are nice too - sunflower and pumpkin seeds I think they are.)