Berry fool teacups

Make-ahead desserts are a must in my book – you really don’t want to be fannying around in the kitchen when everyone else is in the middle of eating their main course – you might miss some gossip!

Frankly, if you’re having loads of your friends round for dinner or a special lunch you want to be able to enjoy their company and not be stressed about creating the perfect feast.

So with that in mind, when some old family friends came over for dinner recently I served up these little beauties:

Berry fool teacups with shortbread biscuits on the side. I used frozen summer berries and shop bought shortbread, so really it was a breeze to sling together a few hours in advance.

Serving them up in my granny’s spode teacups transformed them from simple pudding to elegant dessert.

They’re not too rich and huge on flavour, so they went down very well with everyone. The recipe made masses so I put the excess into a large glass bowl to have on hand in the fridge just in case people wanted seconds. Needless to say it was all scoffed!

Berry fool teacups – adapted from a Lucy Cufflin recipe

500g frozen summer berries
100g caster sugar
400ml creme fraiche
300ml double cream
50g icing sugar

1. Put the frozen berries in a pan with the caster sugar and gently heat until they are soft. Put them through a sieve over a bowl to squeeze as much juice and pulp out of them as you can. Leave to cool.

2. Whip together the creme fraiche, double cream and icing sugar together until light and fluffy. Fold the berry liquid into the cream with a large metal spoon until well blended.

3. Pour into teacups or wine glasses and pop in the fridge until you’re ready for dessert. Garnish with a few berries on top and serve with a shortbread finger or two.