Mixed nuts

Spread them in one layer on a baking tray and toast at 160 °C for 8–12 minutes, stirring once. Start checking early: smaller pieces and cashews brown faster than whole nuts.

Keep them in an airtight container in a cool, dark cupboard, away from the oven and strong-smelling foods. For longer storage, freeze them in a sealed bag; use them straight from the freezer or let them thaw briefly.

Smell and taste a nut: stale, paint-like or bitter notes are signs the oils have turned rancid. Discard the mix if it smells musty or shows mould.

Chop them for porridge, yoghurt, salads or roasted vegetables, or scatter them over a crumble before baking. They also add crunch to granola and work in a rough nut pesto with herbs, oil and lemon.

Yes. Chop the mix to roughly the size of the walnuts the recipe calls for; a blend with pecans or almonds suits cakes and biscuits, while cashews give a milder flavour. If the nuts are salted, reduce the recipe’s added salt.

They are similar, but trail mix usually includes dried fruit alongside nuts and may also contain seeds, chocolate or other additions. Dried fruit makes the mix sweeter and raises its carbohydrate content; check the ingredient list if you want nuts only.

It is safest not to give dogs mixed nuts: some blends contain macadamias, which are toxic to dogs, and salted or seasoned nuts can also be unsuitable. Keep the packet out of reach.