Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 800g ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 75g caster sugar
• 25g soft brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 egg, beaten (for brushing, optional)
• 200g plain flour, sifted
• 150ml milk or buttermilk
• 25g caster sugar
• 90g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 300ml vanilla ice cream (to serve)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional). Tip the sliced peaches into a large bowl with both sugars, the lemon juice, cornflour, cinnamon and vanilla, and toss for a minute or so until every slice is glossy and the sugars have started to draw out the juice.
2. Spoon the peaches and all their syrupy juices into a 2-litre ovenproof dish and spread into an even layer so the fruit can bubble up through the topping as it bakes.
3. For the topping, rub the cold cubed butter into the flour and baking powder with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs flecked with pea-sized bits of butter — those buttery pockets give you a flaky, biscuity top. Stir through the sugar.
4. Pour in the milk or buttermilk and bring together with a knife into a soft, slightly sticky dough — don't overwork it or the topping will turn tough.
5. Drop large craggy spoonfuls of the dough across the peaches, leaving generous gaps so the fruit can bubble up between. Brush the tops with beaten egg if using and scatter over a little extra caster sugar for crunch.
6. Bake for 30–35 minutes until the topping is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling thickly around the edges. A skewer pushed into the thickest piece of topping should come out clean.
7. Let it stand for 5 minutes — the juices need a moment to thicken into a proper syrup. Serve warm with cold scoops of vanilla ice cream melting into the cracks.