How to make irresistible apple fritters with a cinnamon twist

'The delicious crisp and sweet flavour of a freshly-picked apple is hard to beat,' says our kitchen garden cook, Melanie Johnson.

You'll get no disagreement on that score from us, and with the early varieties already on the shelves the time is right to enjoy this wonderful fruit while it's at its seasonal best.

Recipe: Apple fritters with sugar and cinnamon

Ingredients

• Four apples
• Splash of lemon juice
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp ground almonds
• 2 tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 eggs, separated
• 200ml milk
• Cinnamon
• Ice cream

Method

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, caster sugar, the egg yolks and the milk to make the batter.

As the batter rests, peel and core four apples and slice each into four rings. Place these in some water with lemon juice to stop them browning.

Next, whisk two egg whites to stiff peaks and fold these into the batter.

Heat a generous spoonful of butter in a nonstick pan, then drop the apple rings into the batter then immediately into the pan. Fry for a few minutes each side until golden.

Toss immediately with sugar and cinnamon. Serve hot with ice cream.