Open Writing

Pupils from Worksop Priory School in Nottinghamshire successfully defended their title by beating over 150 other children to become the National Trust’s Crumble Rumble Champions in the second national competition of its kind.

The team, who plucked apples and blackberries from the National Trust’s Clumber Park estate nearby, took a mere 39 minutes to forage, prepare and cook a fruit crumble from its very source.

Jan Siddons, adjudicator for the crumble rumble said: “The enthusiasm that went into this race has been amazing. I have never seen children running around having such fun but with such purpose, gathering the fruit, to then learn to make a crumble with such speed.”

See the results of all the schools and National Trust places on line at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/crumblerumble.

The team of children from Worksop Priory School were “ecstatic” with their record first place, and the school has won the prestigious title of Crumble Rumble Champions 2010, with their winning pudding crumble to be cooked in the restaurant of Clumber Park across the autumn and winter.

It’s the second year that more than 150 school children from across the UK took part in the bid to win the National Trust’s ‘Crumble Rumble’, organised as part of the Trust’s Food Glorious Food campaign.

The National Trust uses local, seasonal and sustainable food in its 150 restaurants and catering outlets, with properties serving a variety of freshly-made, delicious hot puddings throughout the autumn, including fruit crumble.

Due to variations in available fruit on the different estates, the recipe used in the race was slightly adapted versions of the following recipe:

Spiced Blackberry and Apple Crumble

Serves 8

Blackberries are the one connection most of us have to the wild harvest of Britain.

The season runs from August until November, but it is suggested that the early ripening berries of September are the best.

For the Crumble:

340g Plain flour

230g Unsalted butter

110g Porridge oats

110g Caster sugar

2tbs Demerara sugar

Half a teaspoon of ground nutmeg

A pinch of salt

For the filling:

1.3kg Cooking apples

280g Blackberries

230g Caster sugar

1tsp Corn flour

Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

• To make the crumble: sift the flour, nutmeg and salt into a large bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour with your finger tips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the oats and sugar and rub in a little more until the mixture begins to clump together. Chill whilst making the filling.

• Pre-heat the oven to 190c/375f/G5.

• Peel and core the apples and cut into chunks. Place in a bowl with the blackberries.

• Combine the sugar, cinnamon and cornflour. Sprinkle over the fruit and toss to coat.

• Place the fruit in a shallow ovenproof dish, leaving 2.5cm in space for the topping.

• Scatter the crumble mixture over the fruit and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.

• Place on a baking sheet in the top third of the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is soft when tested with a skewer.

Serve with custard, whipped or clotted cream.

About FGF and to find an event visit: www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk