Makes 12

These individual pies can be eaten hot or cold and are wonderful on their own with a hot mug of tea, or served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream for pudding.

500g dessert pastry

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp caster sugar

For the filling

350g dessert apples, such as russet, Braeburn or Cox

350g Bramley apples

Knob of butter

100g caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

250g blackberries 

1 To make the filling, peel, core and cut all the apples into 2.5cm chunks. Melt the butter in a large pan and, once bubbling, add the dessert apples. Cook over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the Bramleys, sugar and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes while stirring well. Tip in the blackberries and allow to soften for 1-2 minutes. You want the blackberries and dessert apples to hold their shape while the Bramleys should break down to a pulp. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely.

2 Roll the pastry out to a 4mm thickness and cut out 12 circles, 2cm larger in diameter than the moulds of a 12-hole muffin tray. Line with the pastry circles, then spoon in the fruit mixture. Cut the lids from the remaining pastry and rest on top, pinching the pastry edges together to seal. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the pastry.

3 Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 7 with a baking sheet inside. Remove the pies from the fridge and brush the lids with a little milk. Sprinkle with sugar, then pierce a little steam hole in the top of each lid. Place the muffin tray on the hot baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden and crisp.

4 Cool the pies in the tray for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Eat warm or allow to cool completely.

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