We are super excited to be running another #garturstitchbakealong this weekend!! As I type, Kevin is hard at work on his sourdough Hot Cross Buns.

As ingredients are scarce at the moment, we wanted to give you a bit of a helping hand. This recipe for candied peel was originally part of our Handmade Christmas course, but is such a great kitchen staple and worth having on hand. It has the added benefit of being low waste and you can use any citrus peel you have, making it very relevant for these challenging times.

Ingredients:

• The peels of 3-4 oranges, clementines, lemons, grapefruit - really any citrus works here. We save ours as we eat them!!

• 300g granulated sugar

• 175g water

Method:

1. Rinse the fruit peels - You are using the pith (the white part) and the peel

2. Place the strips of peel in a large saucepan and cover with cold water.

3. Set on the stove on high heat and bring to a boil. Drain the water from the peels and repeat this pro-cess twice more.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar water.

5. Pour the sugar water into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Let the mixture cook for 8-9 min-utes at a constant simmer.

6. Add the peel and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour, OR just until the peels are translucent, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain the simmer. Avoid stirring, as this will cause crystallation. If necessary, swirl the pan to make sure that all of the peels get covered with the syrup.

7. Drain any remaining syrup from the peels and set aside for other use (amazing in a gin and soda cocktail)

8. There will probably be only a tablespoon or two of syrup left. If you aren’t using the peel immediately, spread the peels out on a drying rack and leave to dry for 4-5 hours. You can also sprinkle them in sugar while they dry. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 months.

Learn to make more preserved fruit recipes with our online course -