Blackberries remind me all the time of foraging with my Father, Sister and Brother on an Autumn Sunday afternoon strolling the Country lanes of the Cotentin in Normandy for them. The goal of the operation was first of all to give Mummy her Mum/Solo/Wanting peace time. Second it was for us to get exhausted so we would go to bed earlier hence Mum would have more quieteness in her life ( you know the stance I like my Children but far away, picture perfect and silent...). However the big third my Mum's Blackberry Jam which was the result of our foraging efforts: This was a treat to behold.

Blackberries.

I will not say it was the Holy Grail but inside a Croissant or upon a slice of Brioche, it was very close to it in my point of view. 

For a bit of Trivia which may be amusing, my Mum pregnant with myself, did walk along those country lanes with my Father picking up the early Blackberries of the season (end of August 1976). I can imagine very well the two lovers under the very hot Summer sun of 1976, only married a couple of months earlier, speaking about everything and nothing. The vibe in the air was still very much 'Flower Power'... Anyhow peace and quiet for my Parents meant going for long walks and foraging.

My Father who wanted to impress my Mother very much was grabbing the highest big fat Blackberries of any bushes: The 'He was the Man of every situation'... His bravado landed him in a ditch full of nettles and bramble thorns which made my Mum laugh so much that she started to loose her water. And there I came later that night or in the early hours of the 24 th of August 1976... as it was recorded.

All for the sake of Blackberries... I actually find the story cute and it always makes me giggle. Nowadays as I am not foraging around London, I do rely on the 'Bonne Maman' Blackberry Jam to make me remember of my childhood.

Waffles with Blackberries and Raspberries.

Yes, there is the process which can make excellent Jam from the Fruit itself, however a Blackberry is rather picturesque as well as tasty. Therefore using it for decoration as well as for flavour in a Brunch or in a Triffle or a Cake brings some colour to the party on the plate and the palate.

The Berry itself is decorative but it is ever so tasty. I have two little stories about Blackberries, both trivia. Our family Dog called Suzy used to come with us on our Sunday foraging walks. She did develop such an art of picking up the Blackberries from the lower part of a bush that it was quite astounding. She never did hurt herself on a thorn and always managed to pick and eat her own Blackberries.

Suzy, our spirited Dachshound who loved Blackberries, the Sun, Chestnuts, and could fish for Crabs like no other.

Another memory is something I should not share but it is so long ago that I do not care. In our College, they made us run once a week upon a small mountain called 'La Montagne du Roule'. It is a forested area, it does rain a fair bit in Normandy so it was usually muddy and I didn't like sport for one bit. You do know the kid that is crap at physical activities, it was me. Now, I was not the only one. There were three other kids like me. We knew the running path. We knew how long it roughly took to do it. But we also knew where the Blackberry bushes were in the forest so we took breaks, sat, ate and chatted while the others kept running. We always arrived at the meeting point where the sport teacher was. We were late, walking rather than running, looking exhausted while we were not, having pinched our cheeks beforehand to make it look like we did the entire trail... The 'Blackberry Stop' was our saving grace from a dreary sport session. 

 Blackberries in my Garden.

A Blackberry Coulis is another way to have Blackberries instead of Jam. It is delicious upon sharp Sorbets or Ice Creams which are zingy, like Lemon. A Blackberry Coulis also works well in a Triffle with flavours which are either made from Chocolate or Vanilla.

A  Blackberry Sauce can also be a very good accompaniement to Venison. It feels like the wild is meeting the wild... 

Blackberry Pimm's. For late Summer casual BBQ.