For High Tea
Bilberries: Bilberries are any of several primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs in the genus Vaccinium (family Ericaceae), bearing edible, nearly black berries. The species most often referred to is Vaccinium myrtillus L., but there are several other closely related species. Bilberries are distinct from blueberries but closely related to them.
Bilberry (especially Vaccinium myrtillus) is also known in English by other names including blaeberry in Scotland, whortleberry in southern England, whinberry, winberry, windberry, wimberry, myrtle blueberry and fraughan. In several other European languages its name translates as “blueberry”, and this may cause confusion with the related plants more usually known as “blueberry” in American English, which are in the separate section Cyanococcus of the genus Vaccinium. The bilberry is native to Europe including the British Isles, while the blueberry is native to North America.
Image: Soup Tuesday
Mum’s bilberry plate pie and clotted cream for high tea! Never have so few words sounded so comforting and delectable, with images of long ago childhood days and family bilberry picking, then home to a hot cup of tea, and an hour or so later my mum had transformed our rich pickings into a golden, buttery shortcrust pie, filled with the freshly picked aromatic berries……
….today’s recipe was not made by me, but I’ll share the recipe all the same, as it WAS made by my mum and enjoyed on a recent visit back home to North Yorkshire. On a shopping trip to nearby Malton, we spied in one of the greengrocer’s, several punnets of glossy, dark blue berries – bilberries! Some were already a little withered, but with a discounted price attached to them, we bought 2 x 500g punnets to take home.
After some sifting, sorting and washing, the berries were ready for pie making……and with such a large haul, mum set out to make two pies, one for immediate greedy eating and one for the freezer and later delectation. Using an enamel pie plate, which we find conducts the heat better resulting in crisp pastry with not a soggy bottom in sight, she whipped up a couple of pies, just as I remembered, in little over an hour, and so we had bilberry pie and clotted cream for tea!
The recipe for mum’s bilberry plate pie (sometimes called double crust pie) is shared below, and although we didn’t pick the bilberries this time, it was just as delicious and comforting as I remember from my childhood days. If you can’t source any bilberries, them by all means use blueberries instead, but they are VERY different in taste and maybe blackcurrants might be a better substitute for tang and flavour.
Bilberry Plate Pie
Print recipe
| Serves | 8 to 10 slices |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 50 minutes |
| Total time | 1 hours, 10 minutes |
| Allergy | Wheat |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Dessert, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Formal Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 500g shortcrust pastry (ready made or home made)
- 500g fresh bilberries (or wild blueberries)
- 100g caster sugar
- butter for greasing
Note
Bilberry Plate Pie - made with fresh Yorkshire bilberries, encased in golden, buttery shortcrust pastry, this pie was (and still is) a childhood favourite, and is divine when served warm with clotted cream.
Directions
| Step 1 | Pre-heat oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5 and butter an enamel pie plate, or an oven proof plate with a little butter. |
| Step 2 | Combine the bilberries with the caster sugar, leaving a little sugar back to dust over the finished pie, and allow to macerate for 10 to 15 minutes whilst you make the pastry. |
| Step 3 | Make the shortcrust pastry according to the recipe, or use ready-made and ready-rolled shortcrust pastry. |
| Step 4 | When you are ready to assemble the pie, cut the pastry in half and roll one half out to fit the bottom of the pie plate. Trim any overhanging pastry. |
| Step 5 | Spoon the bilberry and sugar mixture into the line pie case and then roll out the remaining half of the shortcrust pastry, with the help of the rolling pin, ease it over the top of the billberries, press together around the pie edges and trim of any overhanging pastry, which can be used for decoration or for jam tarts etc. |
| Step 6 | Seal and crimp the edges of the pie together, make a slit in the middle of the pie to allow the steam to escape and bake it for 45 to 50 minutes in the pre-heated oven until the pastry is crispy and golden brown. |
| Step 7 | Remove from the oven, and sprinkle some caster sugar over the top, allow to cool slightly before serving warm cut into wedges. Serve with clotted cream, double cream, single cream, creme fraiche or ice cream. |
| Step 8 | NB: Can be frozen at step 6, when unbaked; bake from frozen and allow an extra 5 minutes when baking from frozen. |
Basic Shortcrust Pastry
| Serves | 340g (12 ounces) |
| Prep time | 45 minutes |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 340g SR flour (12 ozs)
- 160g butter (6 ozs)
- cold water (to mix, about 30ml)
- pinch of salt
Note
Basic Shortcrust Pastry - my mum's recipe for shortcrust pastry which uses SR flour and not plain flour for a lovely light texture!
Directions
| Step 1 | Mix flour and salt in basin, rub in the butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. |
| Step 2 | Using a knife to cut and stir, mix with cold water to form a stiff dough. Do not over mix, light of hand is best. Allow pastry dough to chill and "relax" for 30 minutes, in a fridge or a cool place, cover the bowl or put the pastry in some cling film. |
| Step 3 | Turn dough on to a floured surface and knead lightly. Roll out and use as required. |
Claire says
Gosh this brought a tear to my eye! Happy days collecting bilberries on the moors and mum magically turning them into a delicious pie – just like this one!
Mum passed away last year, my last contact and reason for regularly visiting my beloved Yorkshire.
Lovely post Karen, thank you!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Aw Claire, thanks so much for sharing your happy memories here, that’s what i hoped might happen when I posted this recipe, as bilberry picking seems such an old fashioned family activity now, which is a shame….I’m sad to hear your mum passed away last year, maybe a trip down memory lane to Yorkshire might be a good idea in the future? Karen
Donna Hardin says
It’s just not fair seeing that pie with the gorgeous clotted cream! Wish the United States had it…nothing like the kind in England! I will try not to hold it against you! (Smiles!) hanks for sharing. Never heard of this berry before.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks and SORRY to tease you Donna! The berries, or bilberries as we call them, are very similar to your small wild blueberries in the States. Karen
Debbie says
Looks so delicious. I’d have to use blueberries here in the States. What do we use the White vegetable fat for?
Karen Burns-Booth says
What white fat Debbie? Maybe it was an old shortcrust pastry recipe I had up for a little while? This one uses butter only and blueberries are good in this pie too!
Jean says
Your post brings back lovely memories! A family outing in the 1950’s, picking bilberries on the Derbyshire moors with my mum, aunt and grandma, all of us squashed into my dad’s old Austin! Then back home where my grandma would immediately set to and make a pie using her battered old enamel plate. The pie had to be made straight away because we didn’t have a fridge and it would have been unthinkable to let the precious fruit go mouldy and be wasted.
Happy days indeed!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Oh Jean, that is EXACTLY the same memories that I have too……exactly the same! How wonderful that we can share such simple pleasures as bilberry picking and pie making, I think these memories are as valuable as gold dust! Thanks for sharing them with me and my readers 🙂 Karen
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Ooh what a delicious pie Karen, such a treat. OH & I stumbled across some bilberry bushes last weekend and although we didn’t have any containers for a collecting a good haul we managed to bring some home in a paper bag which had held bird seed half an hour earlier from feeding the mallards! I’m so glad we picked them as it transpored me straight back to when we used to harvest bilberries with mum and grandma years and years ago. I’m looking forward to picking some more this next week – they’re so delicious, and a mucky mouth pie (like what your mum made) may well be the way to go.
Angela x
Karen Burns-Booth says
YES! More happy memories here being shared, and Mucky Mouth Pie is just a GREAT name for this pie, isn’t it?! I cannot wait to see what you manage to pick next week, and DO let me know if you make a pie too! Karen
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain says
Hi Karen, I’ve finally got round to picking some more bilberries and ended up making a crumble tart (ie combining those two popular desserts). I just love the flavour of them I’m going to HAVE to pick some more this next wk 🙂
Angela x
Jacqueline Meldrum says
That looks amazing! I haven’t tried billberries before but I love all berries especially in a tart. I was just having a discussion on Facebook about puddings in summer and if they should be served with hot custard or ice cream. I can agree this would be good with clotted cream but I also like it hot with custard or cold with cream. Stumbled, tweeted and pinned 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Jac! It was like memory lane, with a lovely pie and cream for tea! I agree that hot is also good in the summer and this pie was served with cream, but warm with custard is also good any time of the year too! Karen
Choclette says
This looks totally fabulous Karen and it reminds me so much of my granny’s pies. She always made them on a ceramic plate too. I’ve never heard of anyone collecting enough bilberries to make a pie – someone was working hard. I find they taste much nicer than blueberries.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you Choclette! It is my favourite pie, and especially when mum makes it! We used to work hard as a team when I was young, bilberrying, and always had enough to make at least one pie, but it is hard work!
Tracey says
Mmmmm deeeelicious! My Gran used to make lots of traditional fruit pies including winberry although I´ve been told it´s now very difficult to find them! I love them!!Especially topped with lots of clotted cream!!!I´m salivating at the thought!!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much Tracey, it’s amazing just how many people commenting here have fond memories of their gran or mum’s making this type of fruit pie! Karen
Glamorous Glutton says
Scrumptious looking pie, straight out of Famous Five, just needs lashings of ginger beer. GG
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hahahaha! YES GG that’s all that is needed! Karen
Heidi Roberts says
That looks like a proper, old fashioned pie with a purpose! I love bilberries and picking them wild is a great experience!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Heidi, yes, it is a proper old fashioned pie and as you say, picking the bilberries is all part of the fun! Karen
Jan Beal says
Karen, that brought back memories of visiting my Grandma in Co. Durham – we would go picking bilberries for her to make a pie, it was so tasty . We would always pick or buy bilberries to take back to my Mum in Kent so she could make a pie too and not miss out on the treat!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Aw that is fabulous, what lovely memories Jan! My grandparents used to live in Co Durham and I know it well, and love that part of the world.
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Beautiful pie, Karen! Wish I could get bilberries in the US, but I do love a good blueberry pie. And I love clotted cream. Though I’ve never had clotted cream on my pie! My mum was a cake person; it was my grandmothers who made the pies, and I think of them every time I make one.
Alisa says
Yummy! Looks Delicious!! Hi Karen I never seen this type of recipe especially berries!! Thanks for Sharing.
Joan Anderton says
I too come from North Yorkshire, Scarborough, happy memories of going onto the Yorkshire moors Bilberry picking with my Mum and Dad and my brother. I now live in the midlands and today my husband and I managed to pick 2lbs of bilberries on Cannock Chase, the memories came flooding back. Tomorrow I will make my pies using your recipe, I am so looking forward to tasting them. Thank you for your recipe and everyone’s memories and comments.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Joan,
THANK YOU so much for commenting on this post, which is even more poignant as I lost my mum (suddenly and unexpectedly) last year. I am so pleased that her memory lives on with the recipes I’ve shared here, and in my book too.
What a GREAT haul of bilberries you and your husband got there, I am very envious!
Please DO let me know how mum’s recipe turned out for you, and lovely to meet you here! 🙂
Karen
Jenny Jones says
Hi when you say combine the wimberry with caster sugar, do you mean to heat them together first please xx
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hi Jenny,
NO, I mean to macerate them together as I say in the recipe here:
“Combine the bilberries with the caster sugar, leaving a little sugar back to dust over the finished pie, and allow to macerate for 10 to 15 minutes whilst you make the pastry”
Hope that helps.
Karen
S. Kitter says
The pie crust recipe was fabulous the 1st time, but really flopped the second (heavy). Is it because I left the dough in the fridge for too long (a couple of hours)? Ideally it would be great to be able to make it the day before or even freeze it ahead (thawing before use, of course). Have you tried either?
Karen Burns-Booth says
I have only ever made this pie and served it in the say of making it.