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A bit of foraging for a delicious treat in September’s kitchen

Nothing beats a bit of a freebie and the hedgerows are full of food at this time of year so grab a tub and get picking! Make sure you pick responsibly though and away from any likely sources of contaminants.

Our neighbour has left a bramble to get a bit out of hand so we rap the rewards by picking over the top of our adjoining fence but of course you could always get a cultivated variety to grow in your garden so that you’re in control!

I love making these with the grandchildren as they’re really quick to cook and delicious to eat!

Blackberry and honey drop scones with blackberry compote

Makes 10-12 takes about 25 minutes

Approx 120g blackberries

175g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

40g golden caster sugar

Pinch salt

1 medium egg

100ml milk

1 tspn vanilla essence

1 tspn lemon zest

1 tbspn runny honey

40g melted butter

Extra butter for cooking and spreading

  • Depending on the size of your berries either cut them in half or quarters and put to one side
  • Mix together the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
  • Crack in the egg, then add the milk, vanilla, honey and lemon zest and whisk together until just smooth then whisk in the melted butter
  • Fold in the blackberries
  • Heat a little butter in a griddle pan over a medium heat then add tablespoons of batter to make induvial drop scones. The mixture will find its own level.
  • Cook on one side for 2-3 minutes until the underside is golden brown then flip to cook on the other side for another couple of minutes.
  • Spread with some butter then keep warm whilst you finish cooking the remaining batter.

Serve the scones warm with a drizzle of blackberry compote or runny honey and a spoonful of Greek yoghurt on the side. Scatter over some lemon zest if  you like.

 

Blackberry compote

250g blackberries

2 tbspns of sugar

1 tbspn lemon juice

1-2 tbspns water

Simply add the sugar and the lemon juice to the blackberries in a pan and cook gently for 5-7 minutes until the fruit has broken down and released lots of juices. You can mash them a bit with a fork if you want to.

Blitz with a stick blender then pass through a fine metal sieve pressing the fruit down well with a metal spoon to get rid of the seeds. Make sure to scrape all the puree from the underside of the sieve and stir into the juices.

Add water to your desired consistency then keep in the fridge or freeze.