Berry good eats: 12 easy & delicious recipes using your foraged summer berries

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the bushes are bursting with juicy, ripe berries! Summer foraging is such a joyful experience, letting you connect with nature while gathering a treasure trove of tasty ingredients; bilberries, wild raspberries, woodland strawberries and blackberries.

But now that your baskets are brimming with these little delights, what’s next? No need to stress – we’ve got your back! Here are 12 easy & delicious recipes to turn your foraged summer berries into unforgettable dishes.

Get ready to wow your friends and family (and yourself!) with these easy yet delightful recipes. From breakfast to dessert, there’s something here for everyone. Just remember to always positively identify your foraged berries before consuming them. When in doubt, throw it out!

Breakfast bliss

Berry overnight oats: This is a super simple breakfast you can whip up the night before. Just mix rolled oats, your choice of milk (dairy or non-dairy), chia seeds, some of those delicious fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey in a jar. Let it chill in the fridge overnight, and you’ll wake up to a tasty and nutritious breakfast!

Berry smoothie sensation: Grab a handful of those fresh berries and toss them into your go-to smoothie mix. Blend them up with yoghurt, bananas, spinach and a splash of almond, soya or coconut milk for a colourful, healthy drink that’s sure to brighten your morning.

Berry-licious pancakes/waffles: Give your morning pancakes or waffles a fruity twist! Just fold in those tasty berries into the batter right before you cook them. Top it off with a scoop of yoghurt or a swirl of whipped cream for an extra treat.

Lunch & savoury delights:

Berry & spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette: Elevate your salad game with the sweet and tart flavour of wild berries. Combine fresh spinach, crumbled feta cheese, toasted nuts and your colourful berries. Drizzle with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette for a light and refreshing lunch.

Berry salsa: A surprising and delicious accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. Put your foraged berries into a bowl and toss them together with red onion, jalapeño, coriander and lime juice.

Sweet treats & desserts

Berry crumble/crisp: A classic dessert that’s always a crowd-pleaser. Combine your foraged berries with a crumble topping made from flour, butter, sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown and bubbling.

Berry simple syrup: Homemade syrup or cordial is perfect for flavouring cocktails, lemonade or drizzling over ice cream. Simmer your mixed berries with sugar and water until the berries break down. Strain the mixture and store your syrup in a jar in the refrigerator.
Berry frozen yoghurt bark: A healthy and refreshing treat for a hot summer day. Spread a layer of yoghurt onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with your foraged berries and freeze until solid. Break into pieces and enjoy!
Berry jam: Capture the taste of summer in a jar! Make a batch of homemade jam using your foraged berries, pectin, sugar and lemon juice. Perfect for spreading on toast or gifting to friends.
Berry infused water: Staying hydrated has never been so delicious! Add a handful of your foraged berries to a jug of water (still or sparkling) along with a sprig of mint for a refreshing and flavourful drink.
Berry nice cream: Blend frozen bananas and your foraged berries in a food processor until smooth and creamy. This healthy and delicious treat is a guilt-free way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Berry ice lollies: Combine your foraged berries with water, juice or yoghurt and pour the mixture into ice lolly moulds. Freeze until solid for a refreshing and healthy summer treat.

Essential tips for berry foraging success

Here’s a quick reminder of key things you should keep in mind while foraging:

Identification: Always positively identify your foraged berries before consuming them. Use a reliable field guide or consult with an expert.
Location: Be mindful of where you are foraging. Avoid areas that may have been treated with pesticides or herbicides.
Respect for nature: Only take what you need and leave enough for wildlife and future growth.
Hygiene: Wash your foraged berries thoroughly before using them.

Ready to start cooking?

With these 12 easy and delicious recipes, you can transform your foraged summer berries into scrumptious culinary creations. So, grab your trugs, head out into nature and start foraging! Happy cooking (and eating)!

Our week that was: Family weekend, sand spray and fruit picking

We had a visit from Justin’s sister this weekend; it’s been in the diary for ages, and we’ve been really looking forward to having her come to see us again.

Rachel’s visit

Rachel lives in Greater Manchester – a 4-hour drive away. She’s the one we stay with when we have our dentist appointments up in Todmorden, so we’re taking our turn in acting as hosts! We’ve been keeping our fingers & toes crossed for good weather while she was here. The weather forecast wasn’t great, but we did manage to enjoy a few dry and sunny spells when we were out walking.

We took her to the nearby Hafod Estate as she’d not been there before. We cobbled a walk together that took us through steep woodland, fields with highland cattle grazing and above and along the winding river Ystwyth.

Another trip to the coast

Whenever she’s visited in the past, Rachel has enjoyed going for a walk along the beach. So, even though the forecast wasn’t great, we took a drive out to Ynyslas. As usual, we timed it so we would be there at low tide; the dog went completely bonkers, galloping along the long, wide sandy expanse.

Although it was really windy, there was a great, big, blue sky. It was so windy, in fact, that there was sand spray all the way along the beach; that’s how the famous sand dunes were formed!

Blackberry picking

The local hedgerows are currently heaving under the weight of blackberries. They’re like little glistening jewels crying out to be plucked and made into jam, jelly or apple & blackberry pie or crumble. I’ve already picked around 2 kilos and have put them into the freezer while I decide how I’m going to use them.

Our week that was: Fruit, fungi and flowers

Fruit, fungi and flowers, I just can’t help myself with the alliteration! But the last 7 days has been a week of picking; both out in the wild and in the garden.

Free, foraged fruit

Summer fruit season has begun, and it’s a bumper year. I attribute that to the long, dry spell followed by the bountiful downpours. I’ve picked my full of bilberries and blackberries – and it’s not even August yet. About a kilo of blackberries is currently residing in our freezer, and I’ve made a delicious fruit sponge pudding with the bilberries. I used my go-to upside-down cake recipe that works with almost any fruit.

Field fungi

Our Instragram feed has been lit up with photos of people’s fungi foraging exploits. We set out specially this week to one of our mushroom picking spots, in search of chanterelles. Alas, not a single one was to be found – perhaps in a couple of months time (which is when we’ve previously scored ourselves a paper bag full of the delicious mushrooms). I did, however, find and pick my first parasol mushroom of the season – it’s currently sliced and drying nicely in the kitchen.

Favourite flowers

Only a couple of years ago, our hydrangea ‘Annabelle’ was a half dead little thing sitting in the bargain box at a local garden centre. She consisted of 3 spindly little sticks and looked extremely sorry for herself. This year, she’s standing tall, proud and strong; producing a profusion of stems and blooms. We’ve put a handful of them in a white ironstone jug to enjoy indoors right now. A few other stems have been picked and are hanging upside-down, drying to display later on in the year.

Cakes & Bakes: Apple & blackberry pie

Every year around this time we are given a bucketful of home-grown apples from the neighbour of Justin’s parents. Because they’re generally tiny and malformed I’ve usually turned them into apple cheese (no peeling, no coring).

There were about half a dozen biggish ones this year, so I combined them with some of the remaining bramble offerings that I had stored in the freezer and made an apple & blackberry pie. I may have confessed in some previous post that I’m not the greatest pastry maker – but I was going to give it another go!

Apple & blackberry pie

Print recipe Pin recipe

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Ingredients

For the pastry
350 g/12oz plain flour
80 g/3oz butter or margarine cubed
pinch of salt
4-5 tbs cold water
For the filling
450 g/1lb apples about 4 medium-sized apples
225 g/½lb blackberries
100 g/3½oz granulated sugar
For the glaze
3 tbs milk
25 g/1oz caster sugar

Instructions

Start by making the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, holding the sieve up as high as possible to give the flour an airing
Add the cubed butter/margarine to the flour
Using your fingertips, lightly & gently rub the pieces of fat into the flour, lifting your hands up high as you do this (again, to incorporate as much air as you can) and being as quick as possible
When the mixture looks uniformly crumbly, start to sprinkle roughly 4 tablespoons of cold water all over
Use a pastry blender or round-bladed knife to start the mixing
Carefully add more water as needed, a little at a time, then finally bring the mixture together with your hands to form a smooth ball of dough that will leave the bowl clean (if there are any bits won't adhere to it, you need a spot more water)
Divide the ball of dough in half and make 2 smaller balls
Put the balls into a zip-lock bag or wrap in cling film or foil and put them in the fridge for half an hour while you prepare the filling
At this point, preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6
Wash & drain the blackberries and peel & slice the apples into 1cm chunks. Mix them together and set aside until the pastry is ready to come out of the fridge
Lightly grease a pie/flan dish (I save my butter wrappers for just this job!)
Take one of the balls of pastry from the fridge and roll it out so that it's about 4cm/2 inches wider than the pie dish
Carefully lift the rolled out pastry onto the pie dish using your rolling pin. Press the pastry down gently into the pie and up the sides
Spoon the apples & blackberries onto the pastry and sprinkle the granulated sugar on top
Take out the other ball of pastry from the fridge and roll it out so that it is large enough to form a lid on the pie
Using a pastry brush, dampen the edge of the bottom pastry case with water
Fix the pastry lid into position pressing it very firmly all round
Trim the edges with a knife
You can use these trimmings to make shapes to decorate the top of the pie - just affix them with a little brushing of water
Brush the top of the pie with a little milk then sprinkle on a dusting of caster sugar which will give a crisp surface when the pie is baked
Make a small hole in the centre of the pie for steam to escape
Put the pie on to a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes
Allow to cool a little on a wire rack, slice and serve
Serve with a little cream, vanilla ice cream or just on its own - although I think it's gorgeous with a dollop of clotted cream!

Tools: 20-22cm pie dish, pastry blender (optional), pastry brush

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: blackberries