Apple Strudel

Ingredients:

• 450g baking apples
• 3 tablespoons currants
• 1 tablespoon bread crumbs
• 1 dessert spoon muscovado sugar
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• Juice from half a lemon
• 50g margarine
• 1 dessert spoon chopped almonds
• 4 sheets filo pastry

Method:

1. Thaw out the filo pastry. Keep cold and covered with a damp cloth or cling film.
2. Wash, core and cut the apples into very thin slices.
3. Take a little of the margarine and melt in a pan. Brown the bread crumbs and mix with the apples, currants, almonds, sugar and mixed spice. Moisten with the lemon juice.
4. Melt the rest of the margarine.
5. Lay the first sheet of filo pastry on a clean tea towel and brush with melted margarine. Lay on the next sheet and brush and so on until the end.
6. Cover the pastry with the apple mixture. Fold the outer sides of the pastry in a little. Lift the corner of the cloth, ease your fingers under the sheets of filo and roll up so that the mixture is totally encased.
7. Form into a crescent shape. Slide the strudel off the tea towel and onto an oiled baking sheet. Brush the top with the remainder of the melted margarine.
8. Bake for 20 minutes at gas mark 7/ 230C/ 450 F and then reduce oven to Gas Mark 4/ 180C/ 350F, and bake for a further 20 minutes.
9. Serve with soya cream, custard or dairy-free ice-cream.