Crumble Topping Keeping Time

Asked by mgs. Answered on 13th May 2016

Full question

I adore the Jumbleberry Crumble recipe, in particular the ability to freeze a bagful of the crumble topping ready for use at any moment. How long does it keep in the freezer?

Our answer

Nigella's Jumbleberry Crumble (from NIGELLA EXPRESS) is a fantastic standby dessert as it is made with store-bought frozen mixed fruits (the "jumbleberries") and a crumble topping that can be made in advance and stored in the freezer. Both elements can be cooked direct from frozen.

The crumble topping should be stored in a freezer-proof airtight container or tightly sealed in a freezer bag. For the best results the topping should be used within 3 months of freezing as beyond that ice crystals can build up in the mixture, which can make it slightly less crisp on baking. If you find that the crumble has frozen into hard lumps then these can be broken up by putting the mixture in a strong freezer bag. Seal the bag loosely and put it on a chopping board then tap the lumps with a rolling pin until they break into smaller pieces.