Traditional Bilberry Pie

By
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Updated on 11/23/21
Bilberry lattice pie

Ann Cutting/Getty Images

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 50 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Yield: 1 pie

Bilberries are a delicious fruit found growing wild in the north and west of the British Isles on high ground. The season for them is very short between August and September. The raw fruits are a little acidic but when cooked with sugar become a delicious, deep-flavored fruit perfect for pies and for jams.

Bilberries are often mistaken for the blueberry, they look very similar but the bilberry is smaller and firmer, less juice when raw but released a lot when cooked. Bilberry Pie is a classic British pie loved throughout the North of England particularly in Yorkshire. Serve it warm with thick cream or a good vanilla ice-cream - delicious.

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

  • 3 1/2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour

  • 5 ounces (150 grams) unsalted butter, or a mixture of butter and lard

  • 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling:

  • 3 1/2 ounces(100 grams) superfine sugar

  • 1 pound (500 grams) cooking apples, peeled, cored, and quartered

  • 1 ounce (25 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing pie dish

  • 7 ounces (200 grams) bilberries,  washed and lightly dried

  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

  • 2 tablespoons superfine sugar

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

  2. Butter a 9" ovenproof dish.

  3. Make the pastry via the following instructions or use a premade pastry.

  4. Once the pastry is rested divide into two. Roll out one half into a circle to line the pie dish. Roll out the remaining pastry into another circle large enough to cover the pie dish and cut into 2.5cm/ 1 " strips.

  5. Place the pie dish and strips into the fridge for 20 minutes.

  6. Place the sugar into a large baking bowl. Take the apple quarters and slice thickly then add to the sugar and mix together.

  7. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a gentle heat. Add the apple and sugar mixture and cook for 5 minutes. Add the bilberries and cook for a further 2 minutes. Leave to cool.

  8. Fill the pie dish with the cooled fruit mixture, weave the pastry strips onto the top of the pie filling to create a lattice and seal the edges by crimping together tightly. 

  9. Brush the pastry top with a little lightly beaten egg then sprinkle with the fine/caster sugar.

  10. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the fruit tender.

  11. Serve with thick cream or ice cream.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
438 Calories
18g Fat
62g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 438
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 24%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 69mg 23%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 62g 23%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 19g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 3mg 14%
Calcium 19mg 1%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 99mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)