James Golding's blackberry vodka

Have you been blackberry picking lately? If so, you might have buckets and buckets of plump berries looking for a good home. As well as crumbles, pies, jams and savoury sauces, blackberries are perfect for combining with vodka for a more grown-up treat.

James Golding, head chef at The Pig in the New Forest, is an expert forager and his menu is always full of wild or homegrown ingredients. Try making his blackberry vodka this weekend. As it takes a good three months to develop, it means that you'll have bottles of vodka ready to give as pretty homemade presents at Christmas.

Makes 1 litre

Ingredients

375g blackberries, frozen
175g caster sugar
700ml (70cl) vodka

Method

Tip the blackberries into a freezer bag and freeze until solid.
Mix the frozen fruit and the sugar in a bowl, then spoon into a sterilised 1-litre preserving jar.
Top up with the vodka. Seal the jar and store the blackberry vodka in a cool, dark place for 3 months - give it a shake now and then, every day if you can for the first week or two.
After 3 months, strain the fruit from the vodka and discard; return the flavoured vodka to the jar.