Bramble crumble

Let’s go brambling

Brambles, as they are commonly known in the UK, are wild growing blackberries. Those thorny shrubs inhabit hedges, woodland and scrubland, delivering juicy clusters of purple-black berries from July till September.

Even though they grow wild in America, as well as across Europe, they are known as ‘brambles’ only in the UK, and nowhere else do they grow as abundantly as here. Come summertime, hedges everywhere grow tiny white flowers, turning into berry clusters amongst the prickly canes.

Bramble weather

If you think there’s nothing to write home about because brambles are sour, tough in the middle and pippy – that’s because they are a bit fickle regarding the weather they require to grow.

There were hardly any a couple of years ago, when the record breaking heat scorched the berries. There were none last year either, in the rain that started in July and continued until May the following year.

Brambles need some rain to plump up with juice, followed by sun that helps them ripen, softens the pips and makes them beautifully sweet.

Just like the ones I picked for the crumble.

Watch out for thorns

Bramble foraging is not completely free: the price to pay is visible on my arms.

Thorns guard the juiciest berries; brambles also clearly are in cahoots with nettles and tend to grow together. So apart from bramble pricks I also sport some nettle burns.

I strongly advise going brambling in long sleeves!

How to handle brambles

If you’re not fussed about washing fruit that clearly had no pesticides on it, nor grew next to busy road so absorbed no pollution, use or eat them straight away.

Otherwise, I’d suggest plunging brambles into a bowl of water, gently agitate them then scoop out onto a paper towel-lined tray to let them dry. No fruit is nice when soggy, in my view.

How to make the crumble topping

The crumble, also called streusel, is a mix of flour, butter and sugar. I like to flavour it with cinnamon and you can also add a handful of almond flakes for variety.

Either white or brown sugar can be used, with the brown making the topping a little softer and the white – crispier.

If the butter is slightly softened, it’s much easier to mix it all together, and it’s definitely not worth engaging an electric appliance for the purpose. You can mix the topping with a fork, a spoon or your hands.

You can make individual crumbles or one large dish of it, to spoon into bowls. Baking takes half an hour, until the brambles bubble underneath the golden, crisp crumble.

And it’s absolutely best almost straight from the oven, blissful with a scoop of ice cream. It’s such an easy dessert to put together you wouldn’t think it tasted so wonderful. But as with many things in life, simple is often the best.

More easy fruit dessert recipes

Baked figs with blue cheese, a drop of honey and a drizzle of balsamic can be a gorgeous starter, side dish, lunch or a healthy dessert.

Strawberries and whipped labneh, a healthy version of the beloved Wimbledon dessert, strawberries and cream. Labneh, thick strained yoghurt, is as delicious as cream but leaner in fat and calorie content.

Watermelon granita with no added sugar makes a fantastic dessert when served with a scoop of ice cream. Plus, you’ll find there instructions how to cube a watermelon.

More foraging recipes

Creamy leeks sautéed with wild garlic. Wild garlic aka bear’s garlic or ramsons turns up in April in woody, wet, marshy lands and down in the overgrown part of my garden.

Sautéed wild mushrooms, chanterelles and pied de mouton. Cook wild mushrooms simply, with only a little seasoning: salt, pepper and a dash of cream.

Bramble jelly, old fashioned seedless jam made from wild blackberries. Pick your brambles and get jamming – and there’s no need for any special equipment.