Blackberries, rhubarb & a weekend crumble plan...

There’s something deeply satisfying about gathering food you’ve grown yourself — especially when it’s done with your kids, in the warm evening sun, surrounded by buzzing bees and the late-summer hum of the garden.

This week, our little garden allotment delivered the goods. My rhubarb plant, which has been quietly doing its thing all season, was finally ready for a good harvest. Thick red stalks, bursting with sharp, tangy flavour — perfect for baking. But the real star of the day? The blackberries.

Armed with tubs, a bit of patience, and two enthusiastic helpers (my kids), we picked just over 2 kilograms of juicy blackberries from the hedgerows around the garden. There’s a definite knack to spotting the ripest ones — dark, glossy, and falling into your hand with the lightest touch. Of course, plenty were taste-tested along the way. I reckon a good few hundred grams didn’t quite make it to the bowl!

This weekend, the plan is simple: crumble. I’ll freeze most of the fruit to enjoy later in the year, but a generous portion is already set aside for baking. There’s nothing quite like a warm homemade crumble, packed with rhubarb and blackberry, topped with golden, buttery crumbs, and served with custard. That first bite always hits differently when you’ve picked the ingredients yourself.