Blackberry and Apple Crumble

SERVES 6

Nothing says Sunday lunch in autumn more than wafts of blackberry and apple crumble emanating from the kitchen – and the fun part is picking the blackberries, if you can find them. Kirstie says: “Where I was brought up, in the country, there were endless hedgerows and we always picked blackberries from them. These days however, a family berry-picking expedition with the four boys means we rarely make it home with a single blackberry, so we end up eating apple crumble!”

700g Cox’s apples, cored and cut into wedges Juice of 1 orange 1tsp ground mixed spice 100g butter, chopped

50g light soft brown sugar, plus an extra tbsp for sprinkling

50g regular rolled oats

● Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas

6. Put the apples into a bowl with the blackberries, orange juice, mixed spice and two tablespoons of the sugar. Mix well, then spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish.

● To make the topping, put the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and oats, then spoon the mixture over the fruit in a thin layer. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon sugar over the crumble.

● Bake for 40 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit underneath it has softened. Serve with custard.