Mulberry & apricot crumble

For the crumble topping, cut the butter into small cubes and add to a mixing bowl with the flour and sugar. Using either a food processor, pastry blender or your finger tips, lightly work together the ingredients. When the ingredients are combined mix in the oats.

Lightly grease an oven proof dish with a knob of butter and slice the apricots into small wedges, removing the stones and add to the dish.

preheat the oven to 180°C.

Place the apricot wedges in the dish followed by the mulberries, including all the juices that may have seeped out. Sprinkle the flour and sugar and gently mix through the fruit.

Add the crumble topping and bake for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or a good dollop of clotted cream.

Mulberries are not really a fruit that can be bought easily, you have to know where there is a tree and go picking.

Mulberry trees across the UK are largely thanks to King James I who wanted to create a prosperous silk industry to surpass the French. The silk worms sole food source is the mulberry, however, it seems that the King was misled, some say by the French, to import 10,000 black mulberries when it is the white that the silk worms prefer.

This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, despite the failed silk industry, as it is the black mulberry which is the tastiest with flavours somewhere between a blackberry, raspberry and a tart plum.

Tress-pass foraging

The trees where distributed to wealthy land owners across the country and while today many are still on private land, they are also found on the grounds of old estates which have been turned into parks or have public foot paths running through.