From todays Independent newspaper, UK

James Golding's blackberry and apple pie

My grandmother used to make the best apple pie for me when I was a child. It was all about the crunch of that sprinkle of sugar on the top, together with the softness of the fruit, and a nice bit of double cream poured over the top. This is her recipe. It's so simple – the key is that she used to collect her own fruit. Even if you live in a city, blackberries grow all along the train-line walls, you only need a handful so I'd recommend collecting them when they're in season and freezing a bag.

I grew up on the edge of the New Forest and going out and collecting food was a big part of our life. Now I live in Highcliff, between New Forest and Christchurch; on the weekends I love foraging for wild ingredients.

Bramley apples or good medium-sized eating apples – which will not lose their shape – are ideal for this pie. You can also mix in a couple of crab apples if you like, which add more of a citrus flavour: the smaller the crab apple the more tart the flavour.

James Golding is head chef at The Pig Hotel, Brockenhurst, Hampshire

Serves 6-8

6 cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
150g fresh bramble berries or blackberries
75g demerara sugar
30g butter

In a hot pan, melt the butter. Mix the apples and sugar together then place in the pan with the butter.

Cook until the apples start breaking down, then mix in the blackberries and cool it down.

For the pastry

450g plain flour
225g butter
115g sugar
2 eggs

Cream the sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add the flour and combine with eggs until it starts to come together.

Knead the paste for a minute, then cover with clingfilm.

Rest in the fridge for 1 hour until firm.

Roll out the pastry and line the inside of a large pie dish.

Cut out another piece the same size as your basin opening for the lid.

Fill with the cold apple and blackberry mixture and crimp on the lid.

Make a small hole in the centre of the pie for any steam to escape, brush with some egg wash and sprinkle with a little brown sugar.

Bake for 20-30 minutes at 200C/gas mark 6 or until golden brown.

Serve with ice cream or some vanilla custard.