150g/¾ cup caster/superfine sugar
200ml/generous ¾ cup water
9 sheets gelatin (or enough for 900ml/4 cups liquid)
750ml/3 cups sparkling rosé
200g/1½ cups berries (hulled strawberries are lovely here, as are raspberries)
EQUIPMENT LIST
Large serving bowl, or 6 fancy glasses
As Sebastian promised as he collected ingredients for a picnic at Brideshead, wine and berries make a delightful combination. A chilled bottle of fizz, and a box of berries, would be welcome in a picnic basket, but this jelly is also a complete joy. It’s a simple dessert, but will hold up on a trip outdoors, so long as you don’t leave it waiting in the sun for too long. You can serve these in cocktail or wine glasses instead of one big bowl – they’ll just be a little less easy to transport.
Serves 6
1. Put the caster sugar and water in a saucepan, and simmer until syrupy. Meanwhile, put the gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water, and leave for a couple of minutes to soak. Give them a squeeze, then stir into the hot syrup until dissolved. Pour into a large serving dish, or divide between individual glasses if that is how you're serving it.
2. Leave to cool for an hour out of the fridge, and then very slowly pour in the rosé – you want it to fizz as little as possible. Stir gently, and then cover and chill in the fridge for another hour.
3. Wash the berries, discarding any that are bruised. Drop them into the setting jelly and fold through until evenly dispersed. The jelly should fizz up a little. Set for at least 3 hours in the fridge, and keep cool until serving. It’s great either plain or with some whipped cream.