Recipe by Ballymaloe Cookery School. This is one of those recipes that somehow is much greater than the sum of its parts. Raspberries, sugar and cream, three easy to source ingredients produce a rich and luscious result. When available and in season I use fresh raspberries. However this is excellent made with frozen berries and I haven’t quite decided yet if it is not actually better made with the frozen fruit. Soft fruit becomes more bitter when frozen and this seems to accentuate the flavour when the fool is made with the frozen berries. Serve shortbread biscuits or Palmiers with the fool. If you have some of the fool left over, freeze it and serve as a raspberry ice-cream.  

1. Lay the raspberries out flat on a dish. Sprinkle on the caster sugar and allow to macerate for 1 hour. If you are using frozen berries this should be long enough for them to defrost.

2.Puree the fruit in a liquidiser or blender. Pass the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds.

3.Gently fold in the whipped cream. If you wish to create a “swirly” effect just be a little light handed with the folding in of the cream. The fool is now ready to be served or can be chilled for serving later.  

Serve with shortbread biscuits.    

Jane’s Biscuits –  

1. Put the flour and sugar into a bowl, rub in the butter as for shortcrust pastry. Gather the mixture together and knead lightly. Roll out to 1/4 inch (7mm) thick.  

2. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch (6cm) cutter or into heart shapes.  

3. Bake in a moderate oven 180°C/350ºF/Gas Mark 4 to pale brown, 8-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the biscuits. Remove and cool on a rack. Serve with fruit fools, compotes and ice creams. 

Note: Watch these biscuits really carefully in the oven. Because of the high sugar content they burn easily. They should be a pale golden – darker will be more bitter.However if they are too pale they will be undercooked and doughy.  Cool on a wire rack.