Apple and Blackberry Pie

Course: dessert Serves: 8-12 Prep: 20 mins plus chilling time Cook: 45 mins-1 hr Vegetarian

225 g (8 oz) butter, softened

40 g (1½ oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling 2 organic, free-range eggs

350 g (12 oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 organic, free-range egg, beaten with a dash of milk

For the Filling:

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) Bramley cooking apples, peeled and cut into large dice 110 g (4 oz) blackberries 150 g (5 oz) granulated sugar

To Serve: softly whipped cream; dark soft brown sugar.

1 Pre-heat oven to 180 deg. C., 350 deg. F., Gas Mark 4. Have ready a piece of baking parchment sprinkled with flour.

2 To make the pastry, cream the butter and sugar together by

hand or in a food processor. Add the eggs one by one and beat for several minutes. Reduce the speed and mix in the flour slowly. Turn out on to the floured baking parchment, flatten into a round, then wrap and chill. This pastry needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours otherwise it is difficult to handle. Better still, make it the day before.

3 Roll out the pastry to 3 mm (⅛ in) thick, then use two-thirds of it to line a 18 x 30 x 2.5 cm (7 x 12 x 1 in) square tin or a 22.5 cm (8¾ in) round tin.

4 Fill the pie to the top with the apples and blackberries and sprinkle with the sugar. Cover with a lid of pastry, and press the edges together to seal. Decorate with pastry leaves, brush with the beaten egg mixture and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the apples are tender. When cooked, sprinkle lightly with caster sugar, cut into pieces and serve with softly whipped cream and sugar.