Foodie files

James Martin's

FORAGED FRUIT Blackberries from hedgerows are a great free food. I make blackberry charlotte a lot at home, which is like a hot summer pudding. Take sliced white bread, dip it in melted butter and line a mould. Fill the centre with 400g blackberries simmered for a few minutes in a pan with sugar to taste, and bake at 190°C/fan 170°C/ gas 5 for 10 minutes. The bread crisps up on the outside but stays soft inside. It’s delicious with custard.

RESPECT FOR ELDERS Elderberries are ready to pick now, too. Like blackberries, and the mulberries I have growing on 12 trees in my garden, they have a slightly sharp flavour that makes them wonderful served with anything fatty or oily like duck or mackerel. Just stew them for a bit with sugar to taste and use as a sauce, or serve roasted with duck – the sharpness cuts through the fatty meat.

GRATE GADGET I picked up a Japanese ginger grater when I was in America – it’s only a small gadget but it’s fantastic. I use it all the time, and now all my chefs have one too. It’s not really a grater, it looks like a flat bit of metal with sharp little teeth. You just rub the ginger on it – or you can use it with garlic – and it munches it up into an instant paste as well as removing all the sinews. I really recommend one.

FRESH FRIES My courgette plants have been producing well this summer, and I think the best way to cook them is the classic method the Italians use. Thinly slice into batons then soak them in milk, dip in seasoned flour then deep-fry them. They’re amazing straight out of the fryer, with some salt on them. But do remember to fry them in batches – if you put them all in at once they’ll go soggy.

TV chef James Martin shares his culinary secrets with Weekend