Home-made crème de mûre (or crème de cassis)

The hedges are loaded with blackberries, and the wild ones really do taste better than the bloated ones in the supermarket. Capture the bosky flavour in crème de mûre, a blackberry version of blackcurrant crème de cassis and just as good mixed with white wine to make a blackberry Kir. Like cassis, it is excellent dribbled over berries, added to pear poaching liquor or used to boost a summer pudding mix. You could just as well use blackcurrants – frozen ones will do fine.

MAKES ABOUT 1.2 LITRES INGREDIENTS

400g blackberries

1 x 75cl bottle red wine (I used an inexpensive Beaujolais)

Approx 600g granulated sugar 300ml brandy, or marc

METHOD

■ Put the blackberries in a bowl and pour over the wine. Cover and leave to stand for 24 hours. At this point, liquidise the blackberries and wine with a hand blender.

■ Pour the liquid through a fine sieve into a bowl (don’t push the solids) then tip the contents of the sieve into a clean, old tea towel (it will be permanently stained), and place over a large bowl.

■ Gather up the corners of the cloth and twist them together to squeeze every last drop into the bowl of juice.

■ Measure and pour into a large, wide pan. Add 400g sugar for every 500ml liquid. Note the depth of the liquid afterwards by dipping a cocktail stick or wooden skewer in it.

■ Heat the liquid: it should feel too hot to dip your finger in for more than a second, but not simmering around 70C.

■ Continue for two hours, checking and stirring every 15 minutes or so. After two hours the level of the liquid should have dropped by a third. Leave to cool.

■ Measure again and add one part brandy or marc for every three parts blackberry wine. Decant into clean bottles, and seal. Leave for at least two days before using.