Ingredients

• 250g/9oz porridge oats
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
• 100g/3½oz muscovado sugar
• 100g/3½oz golden syrup
• 1kg/2lb 4oz Granny Smith or cooking apples
• peeled
• cored and cut into chunks
• 40g/1½ oz unsalted butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1–2 tbsp muscovado sugar
• 1 lemon
• juice only
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 150g/5½oz raisins
• 600ml/1 pint whole milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 free-range eggs
• yolk only (roughly 80g/3oz)
• 20g/¾oz caster sugar
• 2 tsp cornflour

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2.
• For the crumble topping
• spread the oats on a large baking tray and bake for 10–15 minutes
• stirring once
• until they are toasted and golden in colour. Once toasted
• put the oats into a bowl and add the lemon zest. Leave the oven on.
• Melt the butter
• sugar and syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the oats
• give it a good mix and set aside.
• Put the apples
• butter
• cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of sugar and the lemon juice into a pan. Cook for about 10 minutes on a medium heat
• until the apples have softened slightly. Stir in the cornflour and raisins
• then tip the mixture into a 25cm/10in square or round ovenproof baking dish. Top with the flapjack mix in an even layer. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40–45 minutes.
• Meanwhile
• for the custard put the milk and vanilla into a pan and bring to the boil
• then turn down to a gentle simmer. Put the egg yolks
• sugar and cornflour into a bowl and whisk until the mixture is light. Slowly add the warm milk in a steady stream
• whisking all the time. Once all the milk is added
• pour it back into the pan over a medium heat and stir gently with a spoon till the mixture thickens.
• Pour straight into a serving jug and
• if there is a wait
• cover with cling film
• making sure the film touches the top of the custard. Unless of course you enjoy the skin
• in which case by all means leave it exposed. Serve the crumble with the custard alongside.