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How to infuse your favourite spirit with soft fruit

Infusing your favourite spirit, we would recommend gin or vodka, is a great way to experiment with flavours or diversify your drinks trolley, plus they can make perfect gifts or wedding favours!

For some fruit inspiration, we'd recommend trying some of the below, but you can trial most fruits and see how it goes:

• Raspberries
• Blackberries
• Strawberries
• Rhubarb
• Damsons

Jam is one of our favourite things to make on the weekend, so we have fresh jam all week made out of our favourite berries. However, we know that you don't always have the time to make your own so we are sharing a delicious alternative to homemade jam: Blackcurrant and Chia Seed Jam.

This jam takes 15-20 minutes, so it's easy to have on the go in the morning and will last up to 5 days in your fridge. Plus it's full of antioxidants and fiber thanks to the blackcurrants and chia seeds.

This recipe is also super adaptable, so switch out your blackcurrants for another of your favourite berries and enjoy!

Blackcurrant and Chia Seed Jam

Ingredients:

500g of our Frozen Organic Blackcurrants

3 tbsp chia seeds

1tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp of honey/maple syrup (optional)

The Chuckleberry is not a commonly known fruit and for that reason, often results in people not knowing much about it or how to even use it. We understand this struggle so we are here to help you learn about this incredible fruit, and hopefully inspire you to use it in your cooking or baking.

First things first - what is a Chuckleberry?

A chuckleberry is a hybrid between a redcurrant, gooseberry and jostaberry (a jostaberry already being a hybrid of a gooseberry and blackcurrant). This large mix of different flavour profiles has resulted in a dark red/purple fruit around the size of a blackcurrant, with a complex, yet delicious taste. It provides vibrancy and sharpness to cooking, whilst simultaneously being sweet - making it an incredibly exciting ingredient to use.

How to use it?

Jam is an obvious,

Buying your fruit frozen has numerous benefits, which is why we are so proud to be able to offer it to you, they include:

1. Less food Waste

This is because you only use what you need, when you need it, and don’t have to worry about your fruit going off quicker than you are ready to use it.

2. Availability

You can enjoy all the seasonal fruits you love throughout the year without having to compromise on quality and flavour. 

3. Better Flavour

Freezing fruit from fresh means all the nutrition that was present at the time of picking is locked in and preserved - providing you with amazing, fresh-tasting f

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 225g butter
• 225g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 225g self raising flour
• 200g frozen blueberries (coated in flour)

Total time required: 45 minutes

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5.
2. Grease & line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
3. Cream together the butter & caster sugar in a bowl until light & fluffy.
4. Add the 3 eggs, zest & juice -

Serves 2

Ingredients

Blackcurrant coulis

•             400g British (Organic) Blackcurrants frozen
•             140g caster sugar
•             100ml water

Raspberry coulis

•             300g British Raspberries frozen
•             50g sugar        
•             100ml water

Blackberry coulis

•             350g British IQF / Puree/Juicing Blackberries frozen
•             70g sugar
•             100ml water

Summer fruit coulis

•             350g British Summer Fruits frozen
•             70g sugar
•             100ml water

Total time required: 10 minutes

Preparation

Serves 16-20

Ingredients

• 250g British Raspberries frozen
• 200g British (Organic) Blackcurrants frozen
• 2 tbsp water
• 300ml (or a 284ml pot) single cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 150g caster sugar
• 300ml (or a 284ml pot) double cream

Total time required: 20 minutes + freezing

Preparation time: 20 minutes

1. Heat blackcurrants in water, when beginning to break up add raspberries and continue to heat for 1 minute. When turned into a pulp push mix through a nylon sieve. 
2. Now make a simple custard by pouring the cream into a sauce pan with the beaten egg yolks, sugar.
3. Put this on the cooker and heat on a medium heat stirring frequently to prevent the bottom

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 330g British Summer Fruits frozen
• 142ml double cream
• 140g white chocolate

Total time required: 15 minutes

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Method

1. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and break in the chocolate. Heat gently, stirring continuously until the chocolate melts into a smooth sauce.
2. Scatter the frozen berries on 4 dessert plates or shallow bowls. Pour the hot chocolate sauce over the fruits and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 330g British IQF Blackberries defrosted
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 250g mascarpone
• 142ml double cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Total time required: 20 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Method

1. Place sugar on top of the blackberries and defrost.
2. Place blackberries and sugar in food processor and blend, then push though a fine sieve.
3. Whisk mascarpone until floppy and fold in blackberry puree and vanilla extract.
4. Lightly whip the cream and fold into the blackberry cream mixture.
5. Place into four glasses.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 250g British IQF Raspberries defrosted
• 400g jar lemon curd
• 300g pot of crème fraiche
• 50g dark chocolate

Total time required: 25 minutes

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Method

1. Stir together lemon curd and crème fraiche
2. Melt chocolate in the microwave for 2 minutes, stir half way through
3. In a serving glass, layer the lemon curd mixture and defrosted raspberries. Place a few extra berries on the top and drizzle with dark chocolate.
4. Leave to set for 10 minutes.