A crumble is one of the most simple English desserts to make and what better way to use up the abundance of greengage plums hanging from the trees in August and September. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar used in this recipe depending on how ripe the fruit is; riper fruit will need less sugar.

For an interesting toffee flavour try substituting the brown sugar in the crumble topping for bittersweet muscovado or molasses.

For a lovely, nutty crunch add chopped hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans to the crumble or substitute some of the flour for almond flour.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream as Marcus Wareing does in his Apple crumble or dollop of custard as Dominic Chapman does in his Gooseberry crumble recipe.