I’m a bit loopy for blackberries at the moment. Partly because I’ve got a wild and crazy bramble in my garden that is heavy with inky fruit, but also because these British berries are up for grabs for FREE all over the hedgerows in the UK right this instant! Get out there with a carrier bag – they grow prolifically in lots of  urban spaces and country hedgerows. Just pick above ‘dog wee’ height to get the best tasting ones.

Here is a wonderfully summery pud – and it’s so very British. Plus, who couldn’t love a pudding called FOOL? Have some fool, you fool!

Frozen berries – so pretty!

Serves 6 generously

You will need:

For the blackberry part:

500g blackberries (you could also use other berries – raspberries, blueberries for example)
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
A generous slosh of Creme de Cassis (blackcurrant liqueur). You could use another fruit liqueur if you have it, such as blackberry/raspberry Chambord. You might have something crazy you brought back from a holiday! If you don’t have any in the house, just use a large squeeze of fresh lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of water.

For the cream part:

300g tub whipping cream
4 tbsp thick Greek full fat yoghurt (I use Total, I’m addicted, no other yoghurt does it for me!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp golden caster sugar or agave nectar

Garnish: a few fresh blackberries

First you’re gonna deal with the blackberries. Defrost them if they’re frozen, or if you’re using fresh, give them a good rinse. Pop them in a saucepan with the caster sugar and creme de cassis (if using) or lemon juice/water combo. Simmer together on a medium heat until they bubble up and go soft, producing a wonderful purple juice. Taste and check the sweetness – you want it sweet but with a bit of tart acidity.

Like this:

Wait for your berry mixture to cool down. If you’re in a hurry to make this pud (I was, had to make it in 40 minutes flat), you can cool everything down quickly by putting the berry sludge into a metal bowl suspended over another bowl of water with ice cubes in it. The last thing you want is to mix warm berry ‘sludge’ together with the cream, it will be a melty disaster!

When your berries are  completely cool, push the ‘sludge’ through a sieve into a bowl to remove all pips. You will be left with a beautiful inky purple puree. Set aside.

Using an electric whisk (will take too long by hand) whip the cream together with the vanilla and sugar until it has soft peaks. Don’t overdo it, the cream will be too stiff.

Take your berry mixture and carefully fold it gently into the whipped cream with a large spatula, along with the Greek yoghurt. Don’t over-mix – you want to get lovely swirls in the mixture that look like this:

Yum, it’s ready. Divide the mixture into some glasses and decorate the top of the puddings with individual whole berries. Really nice served with some crispy almond thins on the side.