Light Amber Walnut Halves, 1kg

Our Light Amber Walnut Halves are a step above the standard supermarket bag - sourced for their colour grade as much as their flavour. Light amber is the designation given to the paler colour, freshest-tasting kernels, where the skin is thin and the bitterness that can make cheaper walnuts so difficult to love is kept firmly in check. What you get instead is a clean, buttery richness with just enough earthiness to make them interesting.

They work as well in the bowl as they do in the oven. Toast a handful in a dry pan for three or four minutes and scatter over a bitter leaf salad with blue cheese and a honey-mustard dressing, or fold through a bowl of porridge with sliced banana. In baking they bring real depth - a walnut and coffee loaf, a classic brownie studded through with chunks, or pressed into the top of a banana bread before it goes in the oven. They're also quietly excellent stirred through pasta with gorgonzola and wilted spinach.

Recipes to try using this ingredient:

Wake Up to the Best Porridge

Cranberry, Almond and Walnut Florentines

Why we love it:

• Light amber grading means paler, fresher kernels with a cleaner, less bitter flavour than standard walnuts
• Somerset Foodie own-brand, packed to our spec and checked for quality
  
• A brilliant storecupboard staple that earns its place in sweet and savoury cooking equally
  
• Naturally gluten-free; suitable for vegetarians and vegans

How to use:

• For toasted walnuts, spread 100g in a single layer in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, shaking the pan regularly, until fragrant and just starting to colour. Tip onto a plate immediately - they catch quickly.
• For a quick walnut and gorgonzola pasta, cook 80g of pasta per person, reserve a cup of the cooking water, then toss with crumbled gorgonzola, a handful of toasted walnut halves, wilted spinach and a splash of the starchy water to bring it together.
• Chop roughly and fold into brownie batter, banana bread or flapjacks, or press whole halves into the top of a loaf before baking for a finished look.

More information:

• Somerset Foodie own-brand, packed to our specification
  
• 1kg - the baker's size; ideal for households that cook with walnuts regularly
• Naturally gluten-free; suitable for vegetarians and vegans
  
• Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Reseal after opening, or decant into an airtight jar. For longer storage, keep in the fridge.
  
• Allergens: NUTS (WALNUTS). Packed in a facility that also handles other nuts, peanuts, sesame and gluten.
• Ingredients: Walnuts (100%)