Strawberry and vanilla summer crumble

Tom Shingler
Head of food, delicious.

This simple summer crumble allows in-season strawberries to shine, amped up with vanilla. Here’s why you’ll love our strawberry and vanilla crumble…

Strawberry sensation: The fruit’s sweetness is teased out with a little maceration and the pointy bits are left exposed so they lightly caramelise in the oven.
Crunchy topping: The ‘rubble’ topping is a simple shortbread mixture that’s sprinkled over the top, providing maximum opportunity for crunch.
Effortless entertaining: You can serve these as individual portions if you have enough small ovenproof dishes.

There’s a pud for every season in our complete crumble recipes collection.

Ingredients

Specialist kit

Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Cut the green tops off the strawberries, giving each one a flat base. Put in a bowl and toss with the sugar, cornflour, vanilla and a squeeze of lemon juice, stirring until there are no dry patches of sugar/cornflour left. Arrange the strawberries pointy-side up in a baking dish in a single layer, as snugly as possible (eat any strawberries that don’t fit). Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the topping.
Put the butter and sugar in a food processor and whizz until creamy (or do by hand in a bowl). Add the flour and a pinch of salt and pulse a few times – don’t overwork the mixture.
Use your hands to squish, pinch and form the breadcrumb-like consistency into something more rubble-like; big pieces along with little pieces, kind of like gravel. If you have time, pinch off little pieces of the dough and roll into small spheres, putting them on a lined tray as you work.
Scatter the rubble over the strawberries, leaving the pointy tips of the berries sticking out of the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the strawberries are bubbling around the edges and the topping turns golden. Serve with a scoop of clotted cream on top.

Recipe from July 2025 Issue

Maceration is a way to make your fruit more fruity. A light sprinkling of icing or regular sugar and just 20 minutes is all it takes to turn your berries glistening and sweet. Leave them longer and they’ll break down further, providing you with a bright red, intense syrup.

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