I’m posting these two similar recipes together because the filling is almost the same. You can do twice as much stewed fruit and freeze it for later use too.

The Orchard Pudding is a version of a Jamie Oliver recipe called Orchard Eve’s Pudding.

Apple And Blackberry Filling

2-3 large cooking apples

2 sweet eating apples (I’ve used Discovery but Pink Lady would be nice)

2 good handfuls of blackberries – rinse well

fist size amount of plums (the plums we get are tiny- not much larger than grapes so I’ve used about 10)

4 tbsp sugar (less if you like it really tart!)

2 tbsp hot water

1 tbsp good fruit jam (optional but gives a good depth of flavour)

1 tsp lemon juice

Add the peeled roughly chopped apples to a large sauce pan on low/medium heat and add the lemon juice.

Add the de-stoned plums, sugar, jam (if using) and water and then the blackberries.

Stir to mix ingredients, squash down the blackberries slightly then cover the pan. Check every 10 minutes and stir. It’s ready to use when deep purple and syrupy.

- For the orchard pudding filling, replace caster sugar with brown sugar and add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger and if you fancy it, a shot of sloe gin or whiskey!

Crumble Topping

100g softened butter/margarine

100g sugar

150g plain flour

40g rolled oats & chopped nuts

Add the butter to the sugar and flour in a large bowl and rub together with fingertips until it resembles bread crumbs. Stir in rolled oats and nuts. Sprinkle a good thick layer over your fruit in an oven-proof pudding dish and cook at 180C for 30 minutes or until topping golden brown.

Freezes very well.

Orchard Pudding Topping

100g softened butter

100g caster sugar

2 large eggs

100g self raising flour

Cream together sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time then fold in the flour.

Place the stewed fruit in an oven proof dish with a slotted spoon (so it’s not too runny) then top with the batter. Leave a gap of at least one inch from the top of the dish otherwise the batter will spread!

Leave to settle for 5 minutes then place in oven preheated to 180C for 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and risen. Check the sponge has cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle, if it comes out clean its ready to eat.