BLACKBERRIES, BUTTERMILK.

This summer brought with it a huge amount of rainfall, and many a miserable evening stuck inside. The upside to this is that it seems to have resulted in a bumper crop of blackberries. Every hedgerow I’ve passed is positively laden down with these juicy berries. To preserve this wonderful flavour for later in the year, I like to pickle the blackberries. Stored in this way, they’ll keep for several months and both the blackberry and the vinegar can be drawn down from their jar for a burst of berry season throughout the year. You can increase the amount of vinegar you make if you have more blackberries – make enough to cover them. Their tart tang is delicious on top of a freshly shucked oyster with a splash of good quality buttermilk. I sweeten the buttermilk slightly with honey to make this an even more indulgent experience.

Method

1. At a day in advance: Heat the vinegar, water and sugar in a pot until boiling. Pour over your washed blackberries and allow to infuse. When cool, transfer to a sterilized jar and seal until ready to use. The flavour will be nice and strong after about 2 weeks but I’ve often used the infused vinegar after a day.
2. Stir the honey and buttermilk together in a small bowl.
3. Shuck the oysters. Top with a teaspoonful of the buttermilk and then a few drops of the blackberry vinegar and a pickled blackberry. Serve immediately.