Thompson Raisins

Thompson raisins are the raisin most people grew up with: deep golden brown to near black, wrinkled, and firmly chewy. Drying concentrates the sugars until the flavour turns dark and almost caramelised, with a raisin bread sweetness and a faint tang at the end.

Thompson and sultana are both seedless, and both start pale, but they finish in different places. Sultanas are kept light and soft, and taste mild. Thompsons are taken further, so the colour goes brown, the sugars deepen and the texture firms up into a proper chew. Set against the green and golden lines in our range, this is the dark, everyday raisin: less delicate, much more concentrated, and the one that stands up to strong flavours.

How to use them

Use them where you want the raisin to be tasted, not just seen: oatmeal cookies, cinnamon raisin bread, rum and raisin ice cream, butter tarts, fruit cake, granola bars, breakfast cereal and trail mix with peanuts. In savoury cooking they hold their own in Kabuli pulao, biryani and pilau, in ash, in korma and in a spiced chutney, and they suit a cheese board with sharp cheddar or blue. Their skins are tougher than a sultana, so a ten minute soak in warm water, tea or rum before baking makes a visible difference.

Details

Also known as

Thompson seedless raisins, dried Thompson grapes, natural raisins, seedless raisins, kishmish, brown raisins, passas, raisins secs