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IngredientsÌý

Topping

175g self-raising flour, sifted

110g Demerara sugar

75g butter, straight from fridge & diced into small pieces

110g whole almonds with skin on

Filling

2 large Bramley apples

3 eating apples, Braeburn or Cox’s

250g blackberries,

100g Demerara sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 170C for an electric fan oven or gas mark 5.

To make the crumble topping, combine the flour, sugar and butter and blitz quickly in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the almonds and blitz on pulse setting until they are chopped to reasonable sized pieces – you want a little texture for a nice crumble crunch, not a nutty powder.

Next, peel and core your apples then slice, depending on size, into six or eight – too small and they turn to mush, too large and they won’t soften.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix in the fruit. Try and get it reasonably evenly coated and do be gentle with those berries.

Place in an oven proof dish, making sure that the apples and berries are evenly distributed. I usually favour a dish that is wide and shallow maximising the crumble to fruit ratio. Top with the crumble and bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes until the top is browned and the sugars are bubbling.Ìý Don’t worry if the fruit leaks a little as those sticky caramelised juices are often the best bit.

Leave to cool slightly and serve with custard, cream and ice cream in any combination you desire. Naturally I tend to go for a dollop of each.

Now, most of us probably won’t be going foraging in a forest for mushrooms any time soon, but if you are then for goodness sake be careful!Ìý Lots of these fabulous looking fungi can make you very ill – or worse – so if in doubt, leave it where it is and head for the shops. The good news is that most supermarkets now stock a reasonable range of wild mushrooms including girolles, shiitake and ceps. They can be quite pricey so you can always bulk them up with a few nice, locally grown, chestnut mushrooms.Ìý

Ingredients

4 slices good quality sourdough bread, toasted

350g mixed mushrooms

25g butter

1 fat clove of garlic finely chopped

4 tablespoons of double cream or crème fraiche

Handful of flat leaf parsley chopped

Method

Put a non-stick pan on a medium heat and add the butter. When it is foaming, add your mushrooms. Fry them for a few minutes until they start to take on a nice golden colour. If your pan isn’t very big you may find you have to cook the mushroom in a few batches as if you overcrowd them they simply will not brown.

When all the mushrooms are golden and tender add the garlic and fry it for a minute or two until it takes on a little colour, but not too much – burnt garlic is horribly bitter.

Add the cream and swirl it around to heat and thicken. It’s amazing how quickly it soaks up all the juices of the mushrooms and the remaining butter to become a rich, oozy sauce.

Finally add the parsley and pile the mushrooms high on your sourdough toast. This is rustic, finger licking eating at its best, so just go with it. The only thing that could possible make it even better is a nice glass of chilled, white burgundy.

Ingredients

800g venison

2 onions, sliced

2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

300ml beef stock

300ml stout

butter or oil

2 tbsp flour

1 bay leaf

fresh thyme

Method

Trim the venison of its outer sinew and cut into large chunks and coat with flour.

Heat a casserole dish on a medium flame and add butter and oil.

Brown the meat then transfer to a bowl.

Once all the meat is browned, add a little more oil to the pan and cook the onions until soft

Once softened, add the venison into the pan with the onions and pour in the stock, stout,

herbs and season.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover loosely with lid and leave to simmer for approx.

two hours.

Add the vegetables and simmer again for approx. one hour or until the meat is tender

enough to cut with a spoon.

For best flavour, leave to cool overnight if possible

Next day, spoon off the solidified fat from the top and heat

Check the seasoning, and serve with boiled Comber potatoes

Serves 4