Every year we spend a few weeks in the countryside in our family house in France, and there's always one major task at hand: blackberry picking! This year was a particularly good blackberry year, so we all got to work (kids included) and I was able to make a few batches of jam and compote.

Especially the blackberry compote has proven to be a grand success -- we love to eat it with thick yoghurt (quark) as a dessert or spooned over oatmeal or pancakes for breakfast.

Here's the recipe -- it's really easy!

Blackberry compote

• 1 kg fresh blackberries

• 300 g cane sugar

• 1 t.sp. cinnamon or to taste

• juice of 1/2 lemon

• 4 to 6 jars and lids, depending on size (I use old jam jars)

Make sure your jars and lids are clean (a hot program in the dishwasher will do), and keep them in the sink in hot water until you use them.

Combine the blackberries and the sugar and leave to stand for 20 minutes or so until the juices start to come free. Add cinnamon and lemon juice, and put on a low fire and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil, and let boil for about 5 minutes.

Put the compote in clean jars and seal. Put jars upside down for about 10 minutes. Turn right side up again and leave to cool down. Done!

Makes about 4 to 5 jars, which you can keep for a long time outside the fridge (but once open keep in the fridge).

Enjoy!

xxx Esther

PS If you're wondering what Pim has on his head -- it's a helmet my dad wears to protect his eyes when he's using his sawing machine. Pim found it in the workshop and wore it the entire vacation!