Christmas Pomanders

Pomanders make excellent fragrant festive decorations and are great for Christmas gifts.

Ingredients

• Oranges, lemons or limes
• Masking tape
• Toothpicks or wooden skewers
• 1 jar Schwartz Whole Cloves (will cover approx. 2-3 pieces of fruit)
• 2 Schwartz Cinnamon Sticks
• 2 Schwartz Star Anise Whole
• 2 Schwartz Nutmeg Whole
• Ribbon

Cook's Notes

Your pomanders will look great in a coloured bowl, decorated with the Cinnamon Sticks, Whole Nutmeg and Star Anise. Why not try brushing them with some gold dust for a beautiful sparkle.

Method

STEP 1 Use masking tape to mark out where you want to tie the ribbon on the fruit - oranges look great with a criss-cross formation, lemons and limes work well with ribbon tied around the middle of the fruit.
STEP 2 Then, using the toothpick or wooden skewer, pierce evenly spaced holes into the surface of the fruit around the masking tape and insert the Cloves. Leave a small gap between each one as the fruit will shrink when dried.
STEP 3 When the surface of the fruit is covered with Cloves, remove the masking tape and place onto a wire rack.
STEP 4 Put Cinnamon Sticks, Star Anise and Whole Nutmeg onto a baking tray and place the wire rack on top. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 130°C, 275°F, Gas Mark 1 for about 4-5 hours, or until the fruit has darkened and dried out.
STEP 5 Alternatively, place the fruit in a paper bag and pop in a warm airing cupboard for 3-4 weeks to dry out.
STEP 6 Allow the pomander to cool, then wrap the ribbon around the gap left by the masking tape. Tie in a bow or loop for hanging.