Page 145 – A Little Bird

We picked these blackberries in our local London park yesterday. Sure, in a few weeks, when we get our hands on some windfall apples, we’ll make blackberry and apple crumble and a pie or two, but right now the absolute best thing to do with blackberries is to make a compote—so easy and even more delicious than the sum of its parts. Have it for breakfast with some greek yoghurt, or after dinner with goat’s cheese or shortbread and whipped cream. The magic trick which transforms this dish from the humble to the sublime comes from the great Myrtle Allen at Ballymaloe House in Cork, and it is the addition of sweet geranium leaves.

Here is Irish chef Rory O’Connell’s perfect recipe:

Serves 4 for breakfast or as a pudding, or 8 with cheese. Takes 15 minutes all in, plus time to cool.

225g blackberries
125ml water
120g sugar
4 sweet geranium leaves (just pick them from any scented geranium plant, but the best are from pelargonium graveolens)

Place the cold water, sugar and leaves in a small saucepan.
Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove the leaves. They will be wilted by now but their flavour will have been infused into the syrup.
Add the blackberries and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the syrup is a deep blackberry colour and a little reduced.
Allow to cool

Every London park is bursting with elder right now, and because the plant is a weed and an abundant one at that, it’s fine to help yourself. It’s the white frothy flower you see growing on a tree rather than a bush. If you are in any doubt, smell it and you’ll recognise its distinctive scent.

Here is 80-something cook and forager Pamela Michael’s wonderful recipe for this delicious, grapey, flowery drink. It is quick to make but will need three weeks to brew up its fizz before it’s ready to drink.

Elderflower Fizz:

1 litre/ 1 quart measure elderflowers, picked from their stems – about 16 heads
1 1/2 unwaxed lemons
500g sugar
5 litres of water

Shake off any insects from the elderflowers and snip away the stalks.

Slice the lemons and put them with the flowers and sugar in a clean plastic bucket or very large bowl.

Pour over the cold water and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar.

Cover the bucket or bowl with a lid or clingfilm to exclude the air. Leave for 24 hours.

After the 24 hours is up, strain into jugs and pour the liquid into clean dry bottles with good lids. Fill to within 5cm of the top and screw the caps on tightly.

Drink within six weeks or so. It doesn’t keep indefinitely.

Recipe: blackberries from the park compote

Recipe: make elderflower fizz

It’s goodbye for now…

A Little Bird Told Me…