Creamy, fresh and full of wild flavour, this elegant dip combines tangy cream cheese with fragrant wild marjoram, aromatic wild carrot seeds and a hint of lemon. Finished with a swirl of blackberry, bilberry and elderberry compote, it creates a beautiful balance of savoury herbs and sweet autumn fruit.
Perfect for sharing on a grazing board, served with crackers, fresh bread or crisp seasonal vegetables, it’s a simple recipe that celebrates some of the finest flavours the hedgerow has to offer.
Makes
Approximately 300ml
Ingredients
- 90g blackberries
- 110g bilberries
- 130g elderberries, destalked
- 1–2 tbsp honey or caster sugar (to taste)
- Juice of ½ lemon
Method
- Place the blackberries, bilberries, destalked elderberries, honey (or caster sugar) and lemon juice into a saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over a low heat.
- Cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened and the elderberries are fully cooked.
- Lightly mash the fruit with the back of a spoon to release more of the juices.
- Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much of the smooth fruit purée as possible while leaving behind the elderberry stalks, blackberry seeds and any tougher skins.
- Taste and adjust the sweetness if needed.
- Leave to cool completely before serving.
Serve alongside the Wild Marjoram Cream Cheese Dip, spoon over yoghurt or porridge, swirl through desserts, or enjoy with pancakes and soft cheeses.
Store in the refrigerator for up to five days.
Foraging Note
Always cook elderberries thoroughly before eating, as raw elderberries contain compounds that can cause stomach upset. Be sure to remove as many stalks as possible before cooking, as they should not be eaten. Only harvest berries that you have positively identified and gather from clean, unpolluted locations.
