Name: Elderberry & almond pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 20 sprigs of elderberries -; 200g golden caster sugar or less, depending on your preference for sweetness -; plain flour , for dusting -; butter , for greasing -; 250g shortcrust pastry , defrosted if frozen -; 200g ground almonds -; crème fraîche , yogurt, or ice cream to serve -

Ingredients for - Elderberry & almond pie

1. 20 sprigs of elderberries

2. 200g golden caster sugar or less, depending on your preference for sweetness

3. plain flour , for dusting

4. butter , for greasing

5. 250g shortcrust pastry , defrosted if frozen

6. 200g ground almonds

7. crème fraîche , yogurt, or ice cream to serve

How to cook deliciously - Elderberry & almond pie

1 . Stage

Make a syrup by first washing the berries well and stripping them from their stalks. Tip them into a pan with 2 tbsp water and half the sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes and add more sugar if you think you need it. After 10-15 mins the syrup will have thickened, at which point let it cool and strain through a fine sieve to get rid of any pips. Set aside.

2 . Stage

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and cut into two circles – one large enough to line the base of a 20cm pie dish and the other for the lid. Grease the tin with the butter and line the base with the larger round of pastry. Scatter over the ground almonds, then pour the elderberry syrup on top. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and drape over the lid and press or crimp the edges together and make a hole in the top. Brush the top with water and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 40-45mins until the pastry is crisp and golden. Leave to cool a little then enjoy warm cut into slices with crème fraîche, yoghurt, or ice cream. Adapted from 'The Hedgerow Handbook - Recipes, Remedies and Rituals' published by Square Peg