Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Butter a deep 28x20cm ovenproof dish.
- Toss apple, rhubarb, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, orange zest, and cornflour together until evenly coated. Taste and adjust sugar. Tip into dish — spread evenly.
- Rub cold butter into flour, oats, salt, ginger, and cinnamon with fingertips — rough, uneven crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Add demerara — stir through with a fork.
- Scatter crumble loosely over the fruit — do not press down.
- Bake 35–40 minutes until topping is deep golden and filling is bubbling vigorously at the edges. Rest 5 minutes. Serve warm with custard.
Notes
Use Bramley apples — they collapse and meld with the rhubarb for the right filling texture.
Cornflour is important — it thickens the fruit juices and prevents a soggy crumble topping.
Leave some butter pieces larger in the crumble — they give crunchier, more golden pockets.
Do not press the crumble down — scatter loosely for the lightest, crispiest topping.
Wait for vigorous bubbling before removing — means the cornflour has activated.
Freeze assembled before baking for up to 3 months.
