Spotlight on Ingredients – Blackberries

Welcome to this week’s Recipe Crumbs Newsletter

Late summer means blackberries are appearing everywhere – tumbling from UK hedgerows, filling punnets in shops and markets, and ripening in our gardens. In fact, this year they made an earlier-than-usual appearance.

If you enjoy foraging, now is the perfect time to make the most of them. It's been a good year for this fruit and there are still plenty to be found. Or simply pick up a punnet and try some of the delicious blackberry recipes

Happy cooking and have a delicious week.

P.S. I love seeing your photographs, so if you make any of my recipes and are happy to share them tag @recipecrumbs on social media or send them by email.

This homemade pie is both decorative and delicious. Using lightly spiced seasonal fruits with little added sugar this pie is easy to make and equally good hot or cold, served with custard, cream or ice cream – Only Crumbs Remain

Blackberry and Pear Pie Recipe

Blackberries are a familiar sight in UK hedgerows from late summer into autumn. Each juicy, deep purple-black fruit is made up of between 20 and 50 small segments, known as druplets, making it technically an aggregate fruit rather than a true berry. They are often called brambles, although this more accurately refers to the plant itself. Rich in anthocyanins, vitamins and minerals, blackberries are as nutritious as they are delicious.

Blackberries are delcious eaten fresh and there are numerous recipes to choose from to enjoy these berries. From cakes to pies, jams to chutneys, sorbets, dessert and even drinks. I like to eat them with yogurt for breakfast when they are inseason perhaps with a sprinkling of crunchy granola.

They also make great flavour combinations with apples, pears, almonds and chocolate.

You can find all my blackberry recipes here along with blackberry recipes from some of my blogging friends.

If you are eating blackberries fresh, take them out of the fridge about an hour before serving. They have much more flavour when they are at room temperature.

Look for plump, shiny, deep-black berries. If foraging, choose berries that come away easily. Avoid any that are red, dull or discoloured as they will be underripe or past their best.

Blackberries are delicate and bruise easily. Check the bottom of shop-bought punnets for staining, which can indicate crushed berries.

Fresh blackberries are best used within a couple of days. Keep them refrigerated in a single layer and wash gently just before using, rather than as soon as you bring them home.

If you have more blackberries than you can use, freeze them on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or container. There is no need to waste a good foraging haul!

I first made this recipe in 2016 and it has remained one of my favourite blackberry recipes. The juicy fruit contrasts deliciously with the rich fudgy brownie – Recipes Made Easy

Brownie Recipe

This Blackberry and almond Cake recipe is super easy. It makes great use of seasonal blackberries, teaming them with almonds to make a really great flavour combination – Only Crumbs Remain

Blackberry and Almond Cake Recipe

Delicious juicy blackberries baked in a light batter, Blackberry Clafoutis is an easy to make variation on a classic French dessert usually made with cherries – Recipe Made Easy

Clafoutis Recipe

Compote – A compote is fruit that has been gently cooked with sugar and sometimes a little liquid until tender and juicy, while still retaining some of its shape. Blackberries make a particularly delicious compote and it is lovely served with porridge, pancakes, yoghurt, ice cream or rice pudding.

Next Week – That was the month that was August 2026