Gooseberry recipes
Gooseberries are versatile, tangy and most often used in dessert recipes, where their tart taste marries well with sweet meringue, creamy custard and golden pastry.
When are gooseberries in season? They can be ready as early as the end of May in the UK, depending on the weather, but tend to ripen from late June to early August.
Our scrumptious gooseberry recipes including classic such as fool, gooseberry cheesecake and gooseberry jam – and we have adventurous ideas too, including our gooseberry and white chocolate frangipane tart. Who knew gooseberries and white chocolate were a match made in heaven? This gooseberry and ginger loaf cake is also a summer favourite – alongside elegant pannacotta with gooseberry and elderflower compote.
You can of course also use gooseberries in savoury dishes, where they add a fabulous tart and fruity dimension. Try this smoked mackerel and gooseberry salad – or pulled pork buns with gooseberry ketchup. You can even bake the berries into a focaccia!
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Gooseberries
Elderflower and gooseberry tart
Delicate elderflower lifts tart gooseberries in this elegant riff on tarte au citron. This seasonal bake is the perfect late spring dessert.
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Pavlova
Gooseberry and toasted coconut pavlova
This showpiece pavlova from food writer Angela Clutton anticipates summer's arrival, combining elderflowers and early-season gooseberries.
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Slow cook
Pulled pork buns with fennel and gooseberry ketchup
Porchetta gets slow cooked in this pulled pork bun recipe making it a great make-ahead choice for a weekend dinner party.
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Quick midweek meals
Pepper and paneer skewers with gooseberry raita
Pair pepper and paneer skewers with a gooseberry raita for a bit of a revelation. The raita is still fresh thanks to the mint and cucumber, but benefits from the added piquant zing of gooseberries.
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Make-ahead desserts
Gooseberry and white chocolate frangipane tart
Gooseberry tart is great as is, but when sweet white chocolate is added in to the mix, it's a bonafide winner. Frangipane provides the perfect medium for the plump, honey-glazed gooseberry.
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Cakes
Gooseberry and ginger loaf cake
Gooseberry's tart flavour works so well with the warming hum of ground ginger in this wonderfully simple cake. The use of ground almonds and yogurt makes the crumb super moist.
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Gooseberries
Gooseberry and elderflower cobbler
Crumble is good and all, but cobbler is what the cool crowd finishes dinner with. This gooseberry cobbler is given an extra punch of seasonal fragrance thanks to elderflower cordial.
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Focaccia
Herby gooseberry focaccia
The sweetness from the jammy gooseberries makes this herby summertime gooseberry focaccia a wonderful partner for a mature, hard cheese.
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Gooseberries
Sticky gooseberry cake with saffron and honey with custard
Gill Meller's gooseberry cake has a pleasing tartness, balanced by the saffron and honey sponge, and mellowed further with homemade vanilla custard.
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Healthy salads
Pickled cucumber, fennel, gooseberry, tarragon and lemon salad
Sharp, sweet, crunchy and fresh – Gill Meller's quick pickled cucumber salad is the perfect side dish for a summery spread.
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Pannacotta
Pannacotta with gooseberry and elderflower compote
A perfectly set, wobbling gooseberry pannacotta is a wonderful thing on a summer evening. Serve the creamy dessert with elderflower compote.
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Medium
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Picnic
Potted pork rillettes with gooseberries and tarragon
Gill Meller's fancy picnic recipe is served with a quick gooseberry and tarragon chutney which cuts through the richness of the rillettes perfectly.
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June seasonal
Smoked mackerel and gooseberry salad
Our smoked mackerel and gooseberry salad is packed with tender summer veg, goat's cheese and radishes for a delicious, colourful summer lunch.
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Canapés and cocktails
Gooseberry ginger beer
In early summer gooseberries are fat, irresistible emeralds – use them in this delightful al fresco cocktail recipe.
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Baked cheesecakes
Clotted cream cheesecakes with gooseberry compote
These decadent individual clotted cream cheesecakes are served with a sparky gooseberry compote - a perfect pud for a summer dinner party.
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Fools
Elderflower fool with poached gooseberries
Use our elderflower cordial recipe, or a shop-bought one, to make this summer dessert – the perfect marriage of sweet and sharp.
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Easy
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