The best presents …

… are those that are unexpected. 

Have a look at what I received this week :

I'm not sure where to begin with my veggie box.

The blackberries I think – it just so happens I have a surplus of Pink Lady apples – it has to be a crumble. You can use whatever type of apple you wish – cooking or eating.

Crumble has to be in the top ten of puddings, close to all our hearts. I agree with Raymond Blanc - cook the crumble topping separately. It avoids the sogginess in between the fruit and the topping.

Here's the recipe :

Serves 4

Crumble topping

120g plain flour

60g caster sugar

60g unsalted butter at room temperature,

cut into pieces

Fruit base

300g Braeburn apples – I used Pink Lady

30g unsalted butter

30g demerara sugar

115g blackberries

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Pre-heat your oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5.

The topping

Tip the flour and the sugar into a large bowl. Add the butter then rub into the flour using your fingertips to form breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly coloured.

The fruit base

Peel, core and quarter the apples and cut each quarter into eight pieces. Put the butter and sugar in a medium sized saucepan and melt together on a medium heat. Cook for 3 minutes until the mixture turns to a light caramel. Add the blackberries and cinnamon, cook for a further 3 minutes. Cover, remove from the heat and leave for 2/3 minutes to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan.

When you're ready, place the fruit into a greased overproof dish, top with the crumble mix and reheat in the oven for a further 5/10 minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Pics up next and a tip or two!