Apple recipes: make the most of the crunchy crop

Whether it's cake, cider or crumble, business is booming for apples in the South West Credit: Peter Endig / PA

This year's apple harvest has been declared the best for 20 years, so bring out your bramleys and collect your coxes, we've boiled down our top 3 apple recipes for you all to enjoy:

APPLE PIE

Ingredients

  • 1 short-crust pastry for a 23cm pie

  • 125g unsalted butter

  • 3 tablespoons plain flour

  • 4 tablespoons water

  • 100g caster sugar

  • 100g dark brown soft sugar

  • 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

MethodPrep: 30 mins › Cook: 1 hr › Ready in: 1hr 30 mins

1) Preheat oven to 220 C / Gas mark 7. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, caster sugar and brown sugar, and bring to the boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

2) Roll out the pastry to line the bottom of a 23cm (9") pie dish. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with strips of pastry to form a lattice design. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the pastry. Pour slowly so that it doesn't run off.

3) Bake the apple pie for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 180 C / Gas mark 4. Continue baking the pie for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. Serve apple pie warm with ice cream or custard.

APPLE, PORK & SWEET POTATO SHEPHERD'S PIE

How about a Shepherds's Pie with an apple-infused twist? Credit: Tophams / PA

Ingredients

  • 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (approx 1-inch in size)

  • 1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce

  • 2 tablespoons of honey

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar

  • salt & freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 lbs pork loin, cut into bite size pieces

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 stalks celery - diced

  • 1 chopped onion

  • 2 Granny Smith apples - peeled & cubed

  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice

  • 1/2 cup chicken broth

  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme

  • 1 teaspoon fresh sage - chopped

MethodPrep: 45 mins › Cook: 30 mins › Ready in: 1hr 15 mins

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook sweet potatoes until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, then return to pan with next four ingredients, mash and set aside.

2) Season pork with salt & pepper. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook pork, in batches until browned on all sides; remove to a plate.

3) Add celery and onion to the fat in the pan and sauté until lightly browned. Return pork to pan with apple, apple juice, broth, thyme, sage and additional salt and pepper; reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until liquid has reduced by about two-thirds.

4) Transfer to large baking dish and top with sweet potatoes, smooth top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until browned on top.

MULLED APPLE JUICE

As the frosty weather sets in and Winter rolls around once more, there's nothing more cosy that a glass of warm mulled apple juice to enjoy. Credit: PA

Ingredients

  • 1 apple juice

  • strips of orange peel

  • 1 cinnamon stick - (plus extra to garnish)

  • 3 cloves

  • sugar or honey - to taste

Method Prep: 5 mins › Cook: 10 mins › Ready in: 15 mins

1) Simmer the apple juice with the strips of orange peel, cinnamon stick and cloves for about 5-10 mins until all the flavours have infused.

2) Use sugar or honey to sweeten to taste.

3) Serve each drink with a little orange peel and a piece of cinnamon stick, if you like.