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The blackberry is too good to always be squashed under a pie or crumble lid – it is time for it to come out into the limelight. The blazing September sunshine has left hedgerows weighty with blackberries, elderberries and sloes. Last weekend it didn’t take long to pick well over a kilo of blackberries, despite my youngest two eating near their own body weight in berries.
With so much fruit, I thought I’d make some cordial for the kids. Good-quality fruit cordial is expensive to buy and, if offered at mealtimes instead of the more usual water, is a treat all three relish. I’ve added star anise as I think this spice, with its liquorice notes, flatters blackberries more than any other. And yes, the remaining blackberry haul did go into the obligatory Sunday crumble.
You’ll have some strained blackberry pulp at the end of this recipe, so use it to make fruit leather (be sure to add some cooked apple to stretch the yield) or fruit pastilles.
(Makes 1.2l)
1kg blackberries
1.5l cold water
500g sugar
2 whole star anise
Put the blackberries in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cold water and give them a gentle sluicing. Remove the fruit with your hands or a sieve and put in a saucepan with the fresh 1.5l of cold water. Bring to the boil and continue to boil for 10 minutes.
Using a jelly bag or a clean tea towel, strain the fruit over a clean bowl or saucepan for at least an hour. Take care not to squeeze the bag lest the cordial go cloudy.
Add the sugar and star anise to the strained blackberry juice and bring to the boil, skimming off any froth that may surface. Boil for 10 minutes over a moderately high heat.
Remove the star anise and pour the cordial into sterile jars or bottles. Stored as such, the cordial should keep well for up to three months. Dilute to taste to serve.
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