Whilst the prospect of the end of summer may not fill us all with joy, it does however bring with it some of the best of our British wild fruits. Of course, some of the very best are blackberries. A childhood tradition, summer simply wouldn’t be complete without a brambling expedition! This year has brought an abundance of these shining black gems to our hedgerows and woodlands, and now is the time to make the most of this most tasty crop.

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Bramble Bakewells

If you are looking for bramble recipe ideas, this is something a little different to the classic apple and blackberry crumble. The perfect recipe for those freshly picked blackberries, these bramble bakewell tarts freeze very well too. The recipe is also quite forgiving on the quantity of fruit required, so if your brambling trip was not quite as fruitful as you hoped, you should still be able to reward yourself with these little bakewells.

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Ingredients

375g shortcrust pastry
1 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting
100g butter (at room temperature)
100g caster sugar
1 large free-range egg
100g ground almond
50g blackberry (or blackcurrent) jam
150g blackberries (approx. 24 – 36 berries)
25g toasted flaked almond
Icing Sugar to dust (optional)
Clotted cream, to serve (optional)

Method

1)  Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/180° C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and cut 12 circles with an 8-9cm cutter.

2) Use the pastry circles to line the holes of a bun tin, then pop in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.

3) To make the frangipane filling, beat together the caster sugar, butter, egg, ground almonds and flour to make a thick batter.

4) Spread a little jam into the bottom of each pasty case, then top with a spoonful of the frangipane mixture. Push two or three blackberries into each tart as you go.

5) Scatter over the flaked almonds and then pop them in the oven to bake for 15-20 mins until lightly golden.

Once baked, remove from the tins and dust with a little icing sugar to finish. These are delicious served either warm or cool – and a spoonful of clotted cream makes them an extra special indulgent treat!

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Now is also the perfect time to refresh your kitchenware too, as our new season crop of kitchen accessories has just arrived in store. The collection features some beautiful, country inspired aprons, oven gloves and tea towels – just the thing for all those baking sessions! Shop now ›

The post Recipe Ideas: Bramble Bakewells appeared first on The Millbry Hill Blog: Life in the Country.