Michelle Darmody: Baking with raisins

Rum and raisin ice cream always seemed to be the perfect combination of sweet and boozy, the soft raisins bringing a delicate delight in each bite. Raisins, like any other dried fruit, are far sweeter than their juicer, pre-dried counterparts.

A raisin has a greater amount of fruit sugar than the grape from which it hails. This makes them interesting additions to recipes both savoury and sweet. At times raisins can taste gritty when eaten on their own. This simply means that the sugars inside have crystallised, it does not affect the end result in baking.