Fruit crumble is a real winter favourite pudding. The soft, warm and often spiced fruit covered with a crunchy, sweet, perhaps nutty crumble topped with cream is a perfect way to top off a Sunday roast. This is a basic apple recipe but I’ve given you some variations below.

Apple Crumble

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients:

Base:

• 700g (1 ½ lb) cooking apples – peeled, cored and sliced
• 50g (2 oz) sugar
• 2 cloves
• 2 tbsp water

Crumble:

• 110g (4oz) white flour
• 50g (2oz) butter
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas 4

Stew the apples gently with the water and sugar for a few minutes (still firm). Add more sugar if tart. Remove the cloves. Transfer to a pie dish and set aside to cool.

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs and then mix in the sugar. Sprinkle the mix over the apples and bake for 30 – 45 minutes, the topping should be golden.

Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream.

Variations:

• Add amaretto to your whipped cream
• Remove the cloves and cinnamon if preferred
• Use ¾ apple to ¼ fresh or frozen blackberries
• Replace the apple with same weight of rhubarb (washed and chopped into 1 inch pieces). Follow recipe as above but do not add water when stewing the rhubarb
• Add 25g (1oz) oat flakes or sliced hazelnuts or chopped almonds to the crumble