Blackberry & Apple Crumble

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g caster sugar
• 600g apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 300g blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 lemon, zest and 1 tbsp juice
• 150g plain flour
• 75g rolled oats
• 75g light brown sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, cold and diced
• 25g flaked almonds (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan)/Gas 5. Tip the sliced apples and blackberries into a large bowl with the caster sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon and cornflour. Toss for a minute of gentle turning until every piece is glossy and evenly coated — the lemon juice keeps the apples bright and sharpens the sweetness so the filling tastes of fruit, not just sugar.
2. Transfer the fruit to a 20–22cm ovenproof dish in an even layer. The juices should already be pooling and clinging; that's what bubbles up thick and jammy in the oven, with the cornflour pulling it all into a glossy syrup rather than a watery puddle.
3. Rub the cold diced butter into the plain flour and light brown sugar with a small pinch of salt, using your fingertips, until it looks like coarse sandy crumbs with some pea-sized lumps still visible. The salt is non-negotiable — it lifts the brown sugar and stops the topping tasting flat. Keep the butter cold; warm butter slumps into a paste and you lose the craggy bits.
4. Stir the rolled oats through the crumb mix, along with the flaked almonds and vanilla extract if using, so everything is evenly distributed. Pinch a little between your fingers and taste — adjust the salt if it needs lifting against the sugar.
5. Scatter the crumble over the fruit in a generous, uneven layer, pressing very lightly so it makes contact with the filling but still looks rubbly on top. Resist the urge to flatten it — the peaks and valleys are where the crunch lives.
6. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the topping is deeply golden and crisp and the fruit is bubbling thick purple juices at the edges. If the top colours too fast, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it for the last 10 minutes — you want the topping cooked through, not just browned on the surface.
7. Tilt the dish gently to check: the filling should move slowly and glossily, not run like water. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes before serving so the juices settle and thicken — straight from the oven it'll be lava, and the syrup needs a moment to set.
8. Spoon the crumble into bowls straight from the dish, scatter over a few extra blackberries if you have them, and pour cold cream or hot custard generously over the top so it floods the cracks.