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t has been a busy few months for me with new summer menus in the restaurant and the opening of a new cookery school, plus a few trips to London. September is a great time of year for getting out and enjoying the last of the British summer, even though the evenings are starting

to get dark just that little bit earlier. There are lots of amazing blackberries out there to be picked while out on a family walks. I have spent the summer keeping an eye out for the best spots to pick blackberries from. Im sure you all know a good local spot.

It is important for me to show my kids where food comes from, be it in shops, farms or out in the countryside. Getting them involved in picking blackberries, eating them and cooking this lovely fruit is a fantastic way for them to enjoy new foods that are local and seasonal.

With that in mind I have created a few recipes using the delicious blackberry for you to try at home. My personal favourite is the blackberry hoi sin wrap, it is a big hit in my house and Im sure it will become one in yours too. Enjoy!

www.simplygoodtaste.co.uk

Peter Sidwells Simply Good Food

Peter Sidwell is the star of ITVs Britains Best Bakery, author of

successful cook book series Simply Good and Executive Chef at Rheged. Each month in his special column he produces an exclusive set of seasonal recipes for Living North. Here is the

latest installment

I

Blackberry Scotch Pancakes with Greek Yogurt and Lime I love making pancakes for breakfast. When I get time, and to be honest thats not very often, I make sure they are really great.

Serves four

Ingredients 300g self-raising flour 3 tbsp of baking powder 2 tbsp of brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 tbsp of honey 350ml of milk 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 2 limes 1 large tub of Greek style yogurt 300g of freshly picked blackberries

Heres how Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar into a mixing bowl and mix together.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and crack the eggs straight in to it, followed by the honey and milk.

Whisk the mixture together to form a smooth, thick batter then leave it to rest for 20-30 minutes before cooking.

While it is resting, slice half the blackberries in half and heat a large non-stick fry pan on a medium heat.

Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan and roll it around so the pan gets a little glaze of oil all over.

Using a ladle pour out four small pancakes into the pan and sprinkle the chopped blackberries over the top of the pancakes. After about one minute flip them over to cook the other side.

Cook the pancakes for a further minute until nice and golden, then remove them from the pan and serve with a spoonful of cool, thick Greek-style yogurt and plenty of lime zest.

Blackberry Hoi Sin Duck Wraps The fruity hoi sin sauce makes for a seasonal and British twist on this takeaway classic. The recipe works really well with many different meats and cheeses so it is even worth doubling up and making extra jam to save for later.

Serves four

Ingredients

For the sauce:300g blackberries 2 red onions 1/2 a red chilli 30ml soy sauce 20ml white wine vinegar 2 tbsp of honey 100g sugar 1 tsp of Chinese five-spice powder 1 tbsp of coriander stalks chopped

For the wrap:4 duck legs 1 tbsp of salt 1 tbsp of Chinese five-spice powder

Cucumber Baby gem lettuce Spring onions Coriander leaf 8 tortilla wraps

Heres how Using a sharp knife make several cuts into the duck meat and place in an ovenproof dish.

Season the meat with the salt and five-spice powder then place in a pre-heated oven at 160C for one hour until the skin is crispy and the meat comes away from the bone easily.

To make the hoi sin sauce, finely chop the red onions and place them into a pan on a medium heat.

Add in the blackberries, five-spice powder and chopped red chilli.

Pour in the soy, vinegar, honey and sugar then cook the sauce on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until it has reduced in volume by about half. Season the sauce to make sure it is not too sweet or sharp.

Add in the chopped coriander stalk and remove from the heat.

When the duck is cooked, leave it to rest for about 20 minutes. Using a fork you should be able to push the meat away from the bone before shredding it with a knife.

I like to place all the ingredients onto a big chopping board so everyone can make their own wrap just the way they like it.

120 livingnorth.com

Blackberry and Apple Plait made with Rough Puff Pastry This is a great dessert to enjoy after Sunday lunch with the family.

Serves four

Ingredients

For the pastry:225g plain flour 1/2 tsp of salt 185g butter diced and kept cold 125ml ice cold water 1/2 tsp of lemon juice

For the filling:3 Granny Smith apples 175g blackberries 1/2 a lemon 75g golden caster sugar1 beaten egg

Heres how Place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and add the butter then stir with a large metal spoon.

Mix the water and lemon juice together and pour into the flour.

Using your metal spoon chop the butter up a little while mixing the ingredients together, you want the pastry to have lumps of butter running throughout it.

Bring all the ingredients together to form a pastry then wrap it in cling film.

Place the pastry in the fridge and rest for 30 minutes.

Lightly dust a clean work surface with a little flour, then roll out the pastry into a rectangle approximately the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Brush off any excess flour from the top and fold one third of the rectangle into the centre, then fold the other third over the first one.

Roll out the pastry again and repeat the process, then place the dough into the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.

Rotate the pastry by 90 degrees and roll out and repeat the folds 2 more times, then place it back in the fridge to chill and firm up.

For the filling, peel and core the apples, then cut them into 1cm wide slices.

Squeeze the lemon over the apples, followed by the sugar, give it a careful mix then add the blackberries.

Roll out the pastry into a rectangle approximately 30cm wide by 50cm long, and place all the apple blackberry filling down the middle.

With a sharp knife cut 1cm strips into the pastry on both sides about 10cm into the centre.

Fold over the strips from alternating sides to create a plaited style pattern on top of the filling.

Carefully transfer the pastry plait on to a lined baking tray and brush with the beaten egg to help give it a lovely glaze in the oven.

Bake the plait in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and crisp.