Blackberry and apple crumble

HERE’S an easy-to-make crumble recipe, perfect for any time of year.

And rather than use blackberry or apple, why not experiment with other fruit choices? Like rhubarb? Pear? Raspberry? Blueberry?

Try adding different things to the topping too – how about ground ginger or even nutmeg?

The possibilities really are endless.

Fresh fruit may not be readily available so go for frozen or tinned fruit (in natural juice, not syrup).

Ingredients:

500g blackberries

1.5kg baking apples

100g caster sugar

300g flour – 150g plain wholemeal and 150g self raising 100g butter

60g digestive biscuits

60g ginger biscuits

75g porridge oats

50g Demerara sugar

40g ground almonds

1 tsp cinnamon

This recipe makes enough crumble for two 8in round Pyrex dishes – one to use, one to freeze!

Method:

Peel, core and cut the apples into small chunks.

Place the blackberries and caster sugar in a small pan and cover water to just below the surface of the fruit, and bring to a gentle boil before simmering for 15 minutes, stirring all the time.

Once soft, split the fruit between the two Pyrex dishes to cool down.

Meanwhile to make the topping: Sift the flours together in a bowl.

Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Crush the biscuits together and stir into the mixture along with the oats and ground almonds, then add approximately four tablespoons of water to the mix to slightly change the consistency to coarse and lumpy rather than fine. Spoon the mixture over the top of the fruit.

Finally sprinkle with the cinnamon and Demerara sugar.

To protect during freezing, carefully wrap one of the puddings in cling film and put straight into the freezer.

Bake the other for 25 minutes in a moderate oven until slightly golden.

Serve hot with ice cream or piping hot custard. Enjoy!

THIS beautiful crumble is certainly fibre-rich.

Both these fruits contain respectable amounts of vitamin C, Apples also contain pectin, a compound found to slows digestion and promote fullness.

Lesley is studying nutrition & health at Edge Hill University, she and husband Roberto own Roberto’s Italian on Southport’s Ocean Plaza.

For more of Lesley’s recipes go to: Twitter: @LYatesNutrition and Roberto’s: Facebook.com/ robertossouthport