If it’s late summer or early autumn, you’ll know exactly where this recipe begins — blackberry-stained fingers and a smug sense of achievement that you picked them yourself. (Or, equally acceptable, a punnet from the shop because the brambles near you are defended by nettles and stinging wasps.)

Whether you’ve foraged them from the hedgerows or grabbed a punnet from the shop, blackberries make one of the easiest and most comforting puddings you can bake. This is a no-fuss, store cupboard friendly recipe — just the kind that makes the kitchen smell like home.

You don’t need scales and precision here — just a dish, a handful of store cupboard ingredients that you probably already have, and the smug anticipation of eating the whole thing warm with custard.

Serves: 4–6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Container: a deep pie or casserole dish, 6–9 inches across by 2-3 inches deep is what we use, but adapt the recipe to any size you like

Ingredients

For the fruit filling

• Enough blackberries to fill around ¾ of your baking dish (a pie dish or casserole dish, 6–9 inches across is perfect, but any size will do)
• 2–3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
• 20 g butter, cubed

For the crumble topping

• 100g butter (90g if using a vegan alternative, as this adds more moisture)
• 70g granulated or caster sugar
• 200 g plain flour
• Pinch of salt

Optional extras

• Chopped pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds
• OR plain oats for extra crunch

Preparation

• Especially when foraging your own, but also with shop-bought blackberries, be sure to give them a good rinse under the tap.
• Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan.
• Keep your butter in the fridge. On a hot day, you might find it useful to weigh it out, chop it up and keep it in the freezer for an hour before using it.

Method

1. Prepare the fruit filling

• Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan.
• Place the blackberries into your baking dish until they fill about ¾ of the way up.
• Add the cinnamon and sugar and mix together gently.
• Scatter over the butter cubes.
• Stick the fruit mixture into your pre-warming oven while you continue with the crumble prep (this is just to release some of the moisture and help our topping get good and crunchy).

2. Make the crumble topping

• In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients with a knife, cutting the butter into smaller and smaller pieces.
• When you can cut no more, rub together the last bits with your fingertips. The mixture should resemble breadcrumbs.
• When you think you are done, give the bowl a vigorous shake so any large bits of butter rise to the top. Rub them in too.
• You're done.

3. Assemble & bake

• Remove the fruit from the oven. Careful as it will be hot now!
• Check the cinnamon aroma - if it’s faint, add another teaspoon and stir through.
• Gently press the fruit down with the back of a spoon to get rid of of some of the air gaps. Try to not to mash it.
• Sprinkle over two-thirds of the crumble topping, spread evenly, and press down lightly with the back of a spoon.
• OPTIONAL: if using oats, scatter a handful of these in with the rest of the topping now and mix through a little.
• Sprinkle the remaining crumble over the top but DON'T press down this time.
• Use the handle of a spoon, a chopstick, or a metal straw to poke 3–4 holes down to the bottom of the dish, twisting slightly to create space for steam to escape.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• OPTIONAL: if using nuts or seeds, scatter them over the top now.
• Return to the oven for 10 more minutes. If one side was looking more golden than the other, make sure to turn it.

4. Serve

• Allow to cool. If you are eating this in summer, room temperature is good.
• Serve with custard, cream, or ice cream (but come-on, custard please!).

Tips

• If the crumble mixture if its getting too stuck to your fingers and turning doughy, you can rescue it by spreading it out as thinly as you can and chilling in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Buy the Ingredients