All summer I have been buying as many soft fruits I can, and eating them at every opportunity. I enjoy strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and the like so much more than the dull orange that you get in winter. Plus they are seasonal, locally sourced and therefore much better on the old carbon footprint. A lunch with the rentals a few weeks ago reminded me that I had yet to make a Summer Pudding this year. So I bought all the ingredients, and the weather changed. Evidently my aspirations in the cooking department have bought on the rain. I can’t apologise enough. But now that the temperature has dropped to the ‘get the crumble in the oven’ point on the thermometer, I have adapted a British classic to make the most of the over-ripe fruit sitting in the fridge- not to mention a couple of apples that have been festering there since who knows when.
· Mix the flour and almonds, then rub in the butter until there are no large pieces left ( I favour using a knife, as this saves me getting goo under my nails, which I can’t stand. You can always use your fingers at the last minute!). Stir in the sugar, then spoon evenly over crumble, patting down slightly with the back of a spoon.
· Scatter the crumble with the flaked almonds and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Eat warm or cold with cream or ice-cream. Oh, and don’t forget that it’s so much better on day two!
