2-3 large cooking apples (nice and sharp)
2 whole lemons
2 oz sultanas (golden raisins) (adjust to taste)
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cinnamon or mixed spice
brown sugar to taste
4 oz butter or margarine
4 oz brown sugar
3 oz plain flour (can be wholemeal)
2 oz porridge oats (oatmeal)
Peel and chop apples. Place in a large saucepan with sugar and water. Halve lemons, squeeze juice. Remove all the pips you can. Add to apples. Cut the squeezed lemon halves in half again, and add all the bits to the apple. Add sultanas and cinnamon. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the apple is tender. Don’t overcook. Check for sweetness. I like it quite tart, but you don’t want to take the enamel off your guest’s teeth!
Remember to remove the large bits of lemon at this point! They were only there to add flavour. Tip fruit into deep ovenproof dish. Fruit should come over halfway up sides. Mix sugar, flour, oats and butter in your food processor. (or do it the old fashioned way by mixing the butter and flour to make “breadcrumbs” before mixing in the sugar and oats. Finished item should look like chunky cookie crumbs. Tip crumble mixture over the fruit, pressing down gently and covering the surface completely. Cook in preheated oven at 190 degrees F for 25 mins, or until golden brown. Serve with ice cream, cream or custard.
A nice alternative is to throw some blackberries or black currants in with the apples. If you do this you can also make a sweet sauce by saving some of the juice after the fruit has been cooked, boiling it down to reduce a little and adding a little sugar and a dash of rum. Particularly good to serve if you have visitors who cannot have dairy products.