Blueberries four ways

Blueberries are the deepest self-pick crop in the country, they pick fast, and almost everybody comes home with more than they meant to. They are also the most forgiving berry to store, so a big pick is far less of a problem here than a big pick of raspberries.

Freeze them first, and freeze them dry

Do this before anything else, on the day.

Do not wash them. Spread the berries in a single layer on a tray, freeze until hard, then tip into bags. Washed berries freeze into one solid brick; dry ones pour out loose all winter and go straight into batter frozen.

Frozen blueberries are better than fresh for baking, because they hold their shape instead of dissolving into the crumb.

Blueberry muffins

Ingredients: 250 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 100 g sugar, 1 egg, 200 ml milk, 80 g melted butter, 200 g blueberries, zest of a lemon.

Method: Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, then combine with about ten strokes. A lumpy batter makes a light muffin and a smooth one makes a rubbery one. Toss the blueberries in a spoonful of the flour before folding them in, which stops them sinking. Bake at 200C for 18 to 20 minutes.

Blueberry pancakes

Ingredients: 200 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 egg, 250 ml milk, 25 g melted butter, blueberries.

Method: Whisk to a thick batter and rest it fifteen minutes. Ladle into a medium pan, then drop the blueberries onto the surface of each pancake rather than stirring them through the bowl. You get an even spread and no grey batter. Flip when the bubbles hold open.

Blueberry compote

Ingredients: 400 g blueberries, 3 tbsp sugar, juice and zest of half a lemon, a splash of water.

Method: Simmer half the berries with the sugar, lemon and water until they burst, about six minutes. Take off the heat and stir the remaining raw berries through: they warm and soften but keep their shape, so the compote has two textures. Good hot on porridge, cold on yoghurt, and it keeps a week.

Updated 10 September 2026