As the summer days shorten, the blackberries ripen and just like that, it's time for blackberry foraging. Collect a colander for all sorts of jams, jellies, compotes and puddings.
Take your pick from our selection of blackberry recipes below, including a rather delectable Blackberry and Frangipane tart rustled up by @frenchfamilyfood in celebration of our new Blackberry Collection.
Blackberry Jam
Ingredients:
Makes five 500g jars
1.25kg blackberries
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
1.25kg jam sugar
Add the blackberries, lemon zest and juice into a large pan and cook on a low heat - stirring every now and then. Use the back of a ladle to press into the berries and release even more juice.
Next add the sugar and stir until the sugar fully dissolves, bring to a steady boil for 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Cool a spoonful of your syrup on a plate and use your finger to see if it wrinkles - if it does it's reached it's setting point. If it's still running, return the pan to heat and boil again for a couple of minutes then test again.
Remove the pan from the heat and use a spoon to take off any surface scum - leave for 5 minutes for the fruit to settle down into the syrup. Stir well, pour the hot jam into jars and cover with waxed discs and lids.
Blackberry, Goats’ Cheese & Spinach Salad
Ingredients:
Serves Four
150g blackberries
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
4 salad onions, trimmed and finely sliced
115g pack baby leaf spinach
25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves picked
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 heaped tsp clear honey
150g soft goats’ cheese
Put the blackberries in a small bowl and pour over the vinegar. Stir, then set aside for about 15 minutes. Put the coriander and caraway seeds into a pan over a low heat, after 1-2 minutes tip into a pestle and mortar and crush.
In a large bowl, mix together your onions, spinach, parsley, toasted seeds, crushed spices and blackberries.
To make the dressing - whisk the oil, mustard and honey into the leftover vinegar. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix together - finishing by crumbling over the goats’ cheese.
Blackberry Crumble
Ingredients:
Serves 6
400-500g freshly picked blackberries
200g plain flour
85g butter
55g sugar
Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Place your washed blackberries in the bottom of a baking dish. In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour until you get a breadcrumb-like consistency. Next, stir in the sugar and sprinkle your crumble on top of your blackberries. Bake in the oven around 40-45 minutes - you want the crumble to go a nice golden-brown colour.
Blackberry Compote
Ingredients:
Serves 5
375g blackberries, halved
50g golden caster sugar
Juice ½ lemon
Small pinch ground cinnamon
Use a food processor to mix two thirds of the blackberries with the sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon. Sieve to remove the seeds and fold the remaining fruit through the purée and set aside. Use within 2 days or freeze.
Blackberry and Frangipane tart