25/08/2026
🎉It's blackberry season
If and when you can, using local in-season ingredients is always the best option and at this time of the year no one is too far from a Blackberry Bush, they are everywhere so get out and get picking, this is a great way to get kids involved in cooking, they love being able to pick the berries and then use them in their baking
BLACKBERRY, LEMON AND COCONUT LOAF
Ingredients
90g desiccated coconut
175g self raising flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g golden caster sugar (normal caster sugar is fine either)
175g butter (must be soft)
2 eggs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract(optional)
150g blackberries
– at this time of the year you can find blackberries in hedges all over the country – try to pick ones that are not on a road and don't pick them all from the same place, leave some for the birds!
Equipment – 2lb loaf tin or 8” cake tin, mixing bowl
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Cream together the butter and sugar
3. Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix through until combined
4. Fold in the flour and bicarbonate of soda, don’t overmix
5. Fold in the coconut (keep 1-2 spoons out for later) and the juice and zest of 1 lemon
6. Carefully and very gently fold in the blackberries, you don't want to mush them all up!
7. Transfer into pre lined tin and sprinkle the top with the remaining coconut
8. Bake at 180C for 40mins approx, until skewer comes out clean
9. When cool sprinkle with some icing sugar
Enjoy, x