The Sunday Herald continue to run their Eat Local Campaign and recently printed a colourful and informative wall chart showing what's seasonal and with some great recipe ideas from Geoffrey Smeddle.  We felt the summer recipe was perfect to include here, so source some local berries and get busy!  All we need now is some serious sunshine!

 Summer Berries in Champagne Jelly

You can substitute the champagne for a sparkling wine or something totally different such as a sweet dessert wine or elderflower juice.  You will need two darioule moulds or ramekins in which to set them.

INGREDIENTS
120ml of champagne or sparkling wine
6 strawberries
10 raspberries
15-20 blueberries
1 leaf of gelatine

METHOD
Place the champagne in a small saucepan and gently bring to a simmer.  When it is simmering, hold it at that temperature for one minute then remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, place the leaf of gelatine in a bowl or dish and cover with cold water.  Leave to soften, about a minute or so, then gently lift the gelatine out with your hand.  Squeeze the excess water from it and place it into the warm champagne.  Whisk slowly to dissolve it totally.

Pour a few millimetres of this liquid into the base of the darioule moulds or ramekins and place them in the fridge to set.  This will need about 20 minutes.

While you are waiting for the jelly to set, prepare the berries.  Cut off the green stems from the strawberries and cut the strawberries lengthways into four or six pieces to give slender wedges.  Check the raspberries over for any dirt and wipe away with a damp cloth.  Pick off any stalk or stems still on the blueberries before cutting these in half.

When the layer of jelly at the bottom of the pots has set, place a mix of berries into each cup.  You may not need all the berries; any left over can be served alongside.  The cups want to be comfortably full of berries but do not press them in or try to squash them.  Now divide the remaining wine between the two cups, filling to the brim.  Gently tap each cup on the table surface to make sure there are no air gaps and all the contents have settled properly.  Return the cups to the fridge to finish setting completely.  This can all be done a day in advance.

To serve, hold one cup at a time in one hand and with the fingers of your other hand, gently prise the surface of the jelly away from the edge of its container.  Turn upside down and release it from the mould.  If doing this at home, you can also hold the pot under a running hot water tap to help release the jelly from the sides.  Serve with berries for a refreshing and light dessert.