Compote Collection

First the Blueberry Compote recipe, then more ideas using different combinations that I'm sure you'll find useful!

Blueberry Compote

250g blueberries – defrosted if frozen

100g caster sugar

juice of one small lemon

Pop the blueberries and the sugar into a medium sized saucepan and cook gently until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to thicken – add your lemon juice. This should take approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally taking care not to break up the fruit – this is a marathon not a sprint – be patient – it's only 15 minutes. If you must walk away from the stove then make sure you've got your timer around your neck.

When the mixture is cooked leave it to cool – then spoon into the clean jar you've got ready!

Enjoy the 15 minutes of therapy nurturing your compote!

Here's a strawberry version :

Strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. I'd suggest you divide in half and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

As you can see it's not a difficult recipe, hulling the berries, i.e. removing the green leaf on the top and the stalk below, takes a little time but it's worth every second. You can buy a kitchen implement to do the job if you wish but using a paring knife and cutting in a circular motion will do the job just as well.

You can leave the compote as is with visible berries or you can blitz it.

What's not to love, and finally ...

Cherry and raspberry compote

350g cherries, stoned

150g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon

150g raspberries

Pour 4 tbsp of water into a pan and add the cherries, sugar and lemon juice. Place the pan over a medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Cook the cherries over a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until they have released some juices but are not overcooked.

Add the raspberries to the pan and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes, until they start to soften. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool, then chill it well before serving.

Now for some recipe ideas using up the apples that everyone is giving away!