Brilliant ideas with blackberries
Discover what makes our super-sweet, juicy Victoria blackberries taste amazing, and put them to delicious use in our easy blackberry recipes – perfect for summer
Only the berry best
Our extra-large, 100% Victoria blackberries are in season now and they must be tasted to be believed. These glossy purple beauties are bigger and juicier than traditional hedgerow blackberries and have a super-sweet flavour, balanced with a slight tartness. In other words, blackberry heaven!
Their sweet taste means Victoria blackberries make a great good-for-you snack – they contain potassium, magnesium and calcium, as well as Vitamins A, C and B.
And they’re perfect for cooking, too – be inspired by our easy serving tips and berry-licious recipe ideas below.
Top tips for cooking with blackberries
Make Victoria blackberries the stars of the show with these easy flavour-match recipe ideas:
- Almonds: try topping ready-made meringue nests with lightly whipped cream, toasted flaked almonds and Victoria blackberries.
- Mint: layer Greek yoghurt with smashed Victoria blackberries and top with more berries and fresh mint.
- Cinnamon: simmer blackberries with a pinch of cinnamon and sliced cooking apples. Tumble into a baking dish and top with a sheet of puff pastry. Brush with a beaten egg, top with a sprinkling of demerara sugar and a little more cinnamon, then bake until golden. Serve with vanilla ice-cream.
- Whisky: simmer equal parts blackberries and sugar in a pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and a measure of whisky. When the mixture is reduced and sticky, decant into sterilised jars for a whisky and blackberry jam.
- Vanilla: layer Victoria blackberries in a sundae glass with vanilla ice-cream with crumbled shortbread biscuits.
The berry best blackberry salad
Think blackberries are just for brekkie and desserts? Think again. Try our delicious blackberry and brie salad, which combines vibrant spinach leaves with blackberries, crunchy chopped walnuts and our new French brie. Matured for a minimum of 30 days and with subtle aromas of cream and hazelnut, this oozy and rich ripening brie is the perfect partner to sweet and slightly tart blackberries. Finish the salad with a generous drizzle of our truffle balsamic glaze, and tuck in!
How to make a berry breakfast smoothie bowl
Try our best-in-season Victoria blackberries, and our other summer berries – such as Red Diamond strawberries and jammy Sapphire raspberries – in this Insta-worthy berry smoothie bowl.
To make it, simply blitz blueberries with natural yoghurt and a squeeze of honey and pour into a bowl (or pick up our berry smoothie in store for a ready-made version). Arrange slices of sweet Red Diamond strawberries, our Sapphire raspberries, Victoria blackberries and plump blueberries on top in a fanned pattern and, for a final flourish, scatter over toasted pistachios and mint leaves. Serve with a spoonful of our roasted almond butter for a picture-perfect breakfast that’s almost too pretty to eat.
The perfect summer pavlova puddings
For a quick-fix dessert that’s bursting with delicious summer flavours, simply top our meringue nests with a little whipped cream, fresh M&S Select Farms berries, and your favourite toppings. Get started with these easy ideas:
- Victoria blackberries with whipped cream and lemon zest.
- Red Diamond strawberries with fresh mint leaves and a dollop of our strawberry clotted cream.
- Sapphire raspberries with lemon curd and Greek yoghurt.
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