Pancakes with caramel sauce and brambles

Serves 4

It was bramble-fruit season in Ireland when we were there. Blackberries work best with this as other bramble fruits can be too sour.

For the caramel sauce

250g/8oz soft brown sugar
125ml/4oz water
250ml/8oz double cream

For the pancake batter

2 organic free-range eggs
250ml/8oz milk
40g/2oz unsalted butter, melted
125g/4oz plain flour
tsp salt
2tsp baking powder

For the blackberry sauce

200g/7oz of blackberries
3 tbsp caster sugar
Cream to serve

Place the sugar and water in a pan. Place over a medium heat, stir once, then leave alone. Allow a rich caramel to form; this will take 10 minutes. Once it's the colour of mahogany, remove from the heat and add the cream. Return to a low heat and stir. Set aside while you make the pancakes.

Whisk the eggs, milk and melted butter until combined. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre; gradually add the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Allow to rest for an hour.

Place four tablespoons of the batter into a preheated non-stick pan. Cook for two minutes on one side until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, then turn it and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook the remaining pancakes.

Warm the blackberries in a small saucepan with the sugar for a couple of minutes or until the sugar has dissolved and the blackberries have begun to ooze liquid. To assemble, place a pancake on a plate, spoon over the blackberries and the caramel, and finish off with a drop of cream.