Refreshing ways to enjoy your berries this summer

s you stroll through the summertime supermarket, it’s hard to pass the aisles lined with punnets of fresh berries without completely filling your basket. But how can you best utilise your hoard of fruit to make the most of their delicious flavours?

There are an infinite number of ways to enjoy berry season, far beyond the confines of your breakfast or dessert. In fact, summer berries are the perfect way to add flavour and colour to your favourite refreshing treats and beat the heat when the temperature is rising.

Here are some of our favourite and most refreshing ways to add berries to your life this summer:

1. Pour berries over your ice cream

In summer, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of ice cream. Transform your favourite dessert by topping it off with a delicious homemade raspberry coulis. Made on the stovetop from only three ingredients, this simple recipe delivers big flavours. Pour it over the top or swirl it through if you’re making your own ice cream for pockets of flavour in every bite.

2. Mix your own berry drink

Berries might be small but they’re packed full of juice, bright colours and a whole lot of flavour. Adding a few berries to your bottle of water adds subtle sweetness and can help ensure you to stay hydrated throughout the day.

For more intense flavours, try blending the berries and pressing them through a fine sieve to extract the colour and flavour – without any chunks. Top it off with sparkling water for a refreshing afternoon drink!

3. Upgrade your jelly

Whether you use store-bought mixes or prefer to make your own, jelly will always be one of the biggest wonders of the kitchen. While you can easily make your own with some berry syrup, gelatine and a little bit of water, we love simply adding whole berries to our jelly for fruity chunks in every bite.

Don’t like it when your berries get a bit soggy? Rather than adding them at the start of your refrigeration process, wait until the jelly has started to set a little bit. This will help to keep your berries intact and will also give you an even layer of fruity goodness.

4. Make your own berry icy poles

You can buy icy pole moulds from most supermarkets or department stores these days (which basically means that you never need to buy another icy pole ever again). To make your own icy treats, blend your berries with your chosen fruit juices, pour into the moulds and pop in the freezer to solidify.

If you’re feeling particularly fruity and have some time on your hands, mix up several different batches of your fruit juice puree and offer different flavours within a single icy pole – by freezing layers at different times. They look beautiful with a mixture of colours and are a delight for your tastebuds on a warm day.