Celebrating British berries
Today, we’re celebrating British berries, because in our moderate climate and glorious countryside, there’s lots to grow or forage from your doorstep. And when you do, you’ll love to add it to your cooking!
Straight from the kitchens of our Wimbledon cooks, we’re sharing some favourite recipes that feature British blueberries, raspberries, loganberries and strawberries.
1. Berry Eton Mess
The story goes that Eton mess was created through ‘happy accident’ in the 19th century. According to the history books, a meringue and cream pudding was dropped at an Eton cricket match before being served up. Whether or not this is true, one thing’s for certain – this is a classic dessert that’s as simple as it is adaptable.
For our cheat’s Eton mess:
- Crumble up two shop-bought meringues
- Add a few dessert spoons of Greek yoghurt
- Stir in a handful of your favourite berries
- Finish with a couple of teaspoons of jam
- Serve in a martini glass and enjoy while watching tennis or cricket!
2. Loganberry Trifle
The trifle is thought to have originated in the 1500s as a way to use up leftovers. It’s another great way of celebrating British berries, typically being packed with fruit. Over the years, trifle has been called by many other names (including ‘tipsy hedgehog’!) and it’s even been celebrated by two monarchs, as a Platinum Jubilee pudding and official Coronation dessert.
Again, trifle is easy to assemble:
- Use sherry-soaked sponge fingers or sliced Swiss roll for the base
- Add a tumble of berries, then pour on your jelly and leave to set
- Top with a layer of custard, then a second layer of cream
You don’t have to make any of these layers by hand, except the jelly, and you can still use packet mix for an easier job. Loganberries (the sweetness of raspberry mixed with the tartness of blackberry) are a great choice for a trifle!
3. American-Style Blueberry Pancakes
We might be going across the pond here, but we can still enjoy celebrating British berries while nodding to our oversea cousins. While pancakes in Britain are often more comparable with the lighter, thinner French crepe, stateside, you’ll find them thicker and spongier.
There are quite a few ingredients to remember in an American pancake mix. Getting them right – light, soft, and not too sticky – can take some practice. There’s a great BBC Good Food recipe that walks you through it, but the main thing to remember is a scattering of blueberries and lashings of maple syrup at the end!
4. Passion Fruit & Raspberry Cheesecake
We’ll admit passion fruit isn’t native to the British isles. Nevertheless, we wanted to include this recipe as a way of celebrating British berries. Similar to our Eton mess recipe, this can be assembled easily with a few fridge ingredients.
- Start by blending a pack of cream cheese with a small pot (roughly 250ml) of double cream
- Add 4 tablespoons of icing sugar to the mix
- While doing this, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and drop in a few berries
- Crush some digestive biscuits in a glass
- Layer on the cream cheese mix, then top with your fruit
5. Victoria Sponge
How could we go about celebrating British berries without a nod to this iconic, strawberry-filled sponge? The Victoria sponge is said to have evolved from the ‘pound cake’ recipe. This is easily remembered as a pound of flour, fat, sugar and eggs. To make it a Victoria, spread one half with jam and either cream or buttercream, then ‘sandwich’ together. Shortcut cooks can assemble with cake mix, store-bought jam and a tub of frosting.
While you might think the sponge was invented during Queen Victoria’s reign, it’s said to have been dreamed up in 1615. At the time, it included an addition of coriander and aniseed!
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While these are just a few ideas for celebrating British berries, there’s so much you can do with the fruits from our national garden. Why not use strawberries in a salsa, serve steak with a blackberry salad or whip up a blueberry and port sauce to pour over your Sunday roast?
For more great eats or catering in a cinch, get in touch with our Wimbledon cooks today!
