Penny Choose: Sainsbury’s frozen berry mix

Let’s have a little healthy Treat Under a Tenner this time around, shall we?

Today’s treat is a 400g bag of Sainsbury’s frozen berry mix, also called red berry mix on their website. It’s a mixture of four ingredients: blackberries, strawberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants – plain and simple, and they’ll keep happily for ages in the freezer.

It costs £1.35 for a bag, which is a good deal since many other supermarkets have now put their prices for frozen fruit up, including the discount supermarkets. Let’s hope Sainsbury’s don’t follow suit in the near future…

One of the nicest ways to use these berries up is in an easy Summer Pudding. Just add a tiny amount of sugar to sweeten the fruit in a pan, allow to cool and pour into a bowl or basin lined with slightly stale slices of white bread. All you have to do after that is leave it in the fridge with a weight on top for a few hours, and voila, Summer Pudding!

They’re also perfect on top of ice cream, cakes, tartlets, etc, baked into pies and crumbles, or whizzed up in smoothies or sauces. Or defrost the lot and pour over 150g of grated white chocolate that’s been melted into 150ml of warmed single cream and a dash of brandy or whisky for an easy dinner party dessert.

If you’re feeling especially dedicated, you can separate the individual fruits out so you have a pile of blackberries, another of strawberries etc, so you have variety when you come to use them up.

Sainsbury’s Basics Berry Mix is £1.35 for a 400g bag of frozen fruit. Available in-store or in their online groceries shop. Chuck one in your trolley.

Do you use frozen fruit? What’s your favourite healthy or indulgent recipe?