It is that time of year again where Blackberries (or Brambles) are all over the hedges at the side of the road, in forests and in fields. The blackberry season usually runs from the end of July to the beginning of October in the UK, depending on the weather.

After all the wet weather we have had in the UK this week, we decided to go searching for some Blackberries in our favourite spot a mere 100 metres from where we live, and were surprised by the amount we have come back with.

A 45 minute picking has provided us with just over 3lbs worth of plump berries ready for a number of our favourite desserts and preserves including crumbles, pies and jams.

A few words of advice when picking these delicious berries, always wash berries that you have picked before eating them, and make sure you pick from hedges where dogs can’t reach, and away from busy traffic. Blackberry bushes are very thorny, so try to wear long sleeves and appropriate footwear. Finally, try to leave some berries for other foragers.

Although a blackberry crumble is usually associated with cold autumn nights, it is also the perfect pudding to accompany a warm summer evening with a dollop of clotted, single or ice-cream over the top.

Here is our rough and ready recipe to make a simple but ever-so-tasty Blackberry Crumble. You may notice there are no measurements in our recipe, so you can judge the size of your crumble by the size of your pickings.

Ingredients

Blackberries (mixed with any other summers berries you can find)
Plain flour
Butter
Caster sugar
Golden caster sugar (optional)
Porridge Oats (optional)

Choose a reasonable sized oven proof dish (the bigger the better in our opinion) and pour in approx 2 layers of Blackberries. To make the topping, pour into a bowl one part butter, one part sugar and two parts plain flour (a 70g/70g/140g portion is usually enough for a medium sized crumble). If you have any porridge oats at hand, throw a small handful of these in for added texture. Rub the mixture together with your fingers until the mix reaches a breadcrumb-like texture.

Pour the mixture on top of the berries, making sure the berries are roughly covered by the mix. Sprinkle some golden caster sugar on top of the crumble mix, and place in a pre-heated oven at 180c (350F) for 30-40 mins, or until golden brown on top and bubbling around the edges.

Serve hot or cold with your favourite cream.

Enjoy!

Our first seasonal recipe for January, with pork belly and pears. Serves 4 generously, 6 reasonably:

Ingredients

2-2.5 kg Pork Belly (skin scored)
3-4 pears
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
200ml pork/vegetable stock
Soy Sauce
Table salt and ground black pepper

Before roasting the pork, place on a rack in the sink and pour boiling water over the skin, this will help to form better crackling later on. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, and dry off the excess water.

Chop the garlic cloves finely, and then crush using the knife blade with a pinch of table salt. Mix with olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, and rub into the meat of the pork belly, making sure none of the mixture ends up on the skin.

Rub 1 tsp of salt into the skin of the pork belly. Try to get the salt into the scores of the skin t0 get a better crackling.

Roast in an roasting tray for 1.5 hours (skin side up) at 200C | 400F. Add the halved pears and cook for another 15-18 minutes. Increase the temperature to 240C | 475F for another 25 minutes, or until the prok belly skin has turned golden and crisp. If the skin hasnt crisped, remove the pears and transfer the pork belly to a grill for 1-2 minutes.

Transfer the pork belly and pears to a serving dish and keep warm.

Remove the fat from the roasting tray, leaving the meat juices behind. Place onto hob on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir for 30 seconds to remove the sticky juices from the tray, then add the stock. Leave to reduce until preferred consistency is reached, then season to taste.

Serve and enjoy.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net