Essential British Experiences:

1. Afternoon tea – nothing beats fresh scones
2. Sunday roast – but not on the same day as afternoon tea….that would make you vomit
3. Spending a weekend in the country in wellies and barbour jackets
4. Queueing half naked for a club in the middle of winter
5. Horse riding
6. For all you Londoners: Secret Cinema is a must!
7. Clay pigeon shooting – be sure to rest the gun correctly on your shoulder, otherwise you may end up with painful bruises… not that I’m speaking from my own experience
8. Sunday brunch – one of my favourite things about the brits – eggs benedict, royale, pancakes, bacon, sausages… you need to try them all!
9. Stand up comedy
10. Watch a musical – a must see for everyone: Book of Mormon
11. Have a drink at Aqua Shard – the view is priceless
12. Renting a barclays boris bike and trying to look all cool while removing it from the docking station as an attempt not to look like a tourist…. I clearly failed at this
13. Running/walking for charity
14. Up your drinking to british level for one week and see how your liver responds
15. Watching a Premier League football game – if you’re lucky you might learn a new word or two if you’re sat next to intellectuals with a rather broad vocabulary of swear words…highly entertaining.
16. Acting all upperclass and watching a horse-race, merely as an excuse to dress up in one of those fancy hats
17. Watch the Oxford-Cambridge boat race
18. Picnic on Primrose Hill with strawberries and Pimm’s
19. Renting a pedalo in Hyde Park after having wandered around Kensington Gardens
20. Hunting with horses and hounds
21. Experiencing a tube strike…. London just wouldn’t be the same without one of these fun days
22. I’m not even going to start on art, restaurant, bar and drinking experiences… the list would be miles long… but the above should keep nouveau brits busy for a while

This recipe ties in perfectly with the above as, in my eyes, it is an english classic. No dessert is simpler or better than a good old crumble with custard. It is hearty, warming and a perfect finish for any menu. Funnily enough, just as I served this crumble, my mother called me. I told her I had made crumble with custard for some guests….. I have never had anyone with so much food envy and excitement on the other side of the phone: she was ecstatic about the custard.  At least I now know what dessert I shall be making when she comes to visit ;-).

Apple Crumble with Cinnamon Custard

serves 4

You’ll need

For the crumble
2-3 big braeburn apples
60g flour
60g caster sugar
40g butter, cold, diced
20g ground almonds
1.5 tsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon
For the custard
3 egg yolks
100ml milk
100ml double cream
1 cinnamon stick
35-40g caster sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan).
2. For your crumble, peel and core your apples and cut into 2cm large chunks and spread out evenly in a gratin dish. In a small bowl, rub the butter into the flour until your mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, almonds, cinnamon and honey and mix until well combined. If you feel the crumble is too buttery, add more flour; if you feel it is to dry, add more butter.
3. Top your apples with the crumble mixture and bake for 25-30 minutes. If you feel it is browning too quickly, cover with aluminium foil.
4. For your custard, bring the milk, double cream and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg mixture while whisking.
5. Return your custard into the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 4–5 minutes until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Discard your cinnamon stick and set the custard aside until needed.
6. Once your crumble is done, let it cool for a few minutes before serving (unless you want to burn your guests). Serve with the custard or possibly some vanilla ice-cream.

Rating: 9/10

Never actually had custard in a restaurant before as I always thought I wouldn’t like it, so cannot give this 10/10 until having a proper comparison.