Breakfast like a king - the elmfield 'secret' granola recipe !

Family holdays in the Uk are increasingly popular, unlike some holidays further afield a UK holiday is usually packed with trips, visits, activities and excursions. Families staying here at The Elmfield are no exception - and days are spent surfing, walking, climbing, sand castle building, and of course swimming - and when such fun packed days  abound, a kingly breaKfast is required to provide the essential fuel to make the most of the day.
We are often compliamented on the quality  and variey of our breafast menu, and of course we source the best local sausages eggs bacon etc. However time and time again guests rave about our Granola. To the uninitiated Granola is a toasted cereal and fruit mix similar to muesli. We make our own Granola here at The Elmfield, and our own fuit compote, this is offered as part of our breakfast buffet along with creamy greek yogurt.
So many guests have asked about the receipe of our Granola, and to confess we regularly change the ingredients often making slight seasonal variations (e.g adding coconut and tropical fruit in the summer) but we thought it would be nice to make a simple version available for folks to make themselves at home, and here it is:
Elmfield Granola
 
500g rolled oats
150g chopped mixed nuts
150g pecan nuts
150g sunflower seeds
150ml vegetable oil
100g soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
2 tablespoons marmalade
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon powdered cinnamon
250g dried mixed fruit
 
To serve: Greek yogurt and fruit compote
 
Preheat oven to 180/Gas 4
In a large mixing bowl place oats, mixed nuts, pecan nuts, sugar, cinnamon.
Blend together oil, syrup, marmalade and vanilla essence.
Pour the oil mix over the oats/nuts and thoroughly combine. The mixture should be loose and crumbly with a very light sheen.
Transfer into a baking sheet and roast for 30-40 mins (50 mins if you like a darker more toasted cereal), stir every 10-15 mins to avoid any burnt patches.
 
Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Add the dried fruit. Store in an air tight jar – could keep for up to a couple of weeks.
 
Serve for breakfast with creamy greek yoghurt and a summer fruit compote. Sprinkle over ice-cream at teatime, or as a snack at any time straight from the jar.
'Breakfast like a king' is part of a well known quote by 20th century nutrition writer Adelle Davis.