Lynne; are you going to Bedworth? If so, I'll bring a fiendish machine for you to borrow. It's a peeler/corer/slicer for apples, and makes slices perfect for drying simply by inserting the whole apple and turning the handle. Dried apple slices with brown sugar and spices are wonderful substitutes for sweets, and dead easy to do, apart from the peeling and slicing; hence the machine, which is incredibly quick. Just dunk the slices in the sugar/spice mix of your choice, and dry overnight on trays in a very low oven. Yummy!
Machine can be seen here
Tim