In the hedgerows of the English countryside, you’ll find hidden treasure. The secret treat that woodland creatures love to feast on, just as much as we do. In fact, we have been gorging on them for some 2,500 years or more. Sticky, sweet and succulent, blackberries are nature’s prize, ripened by the warmth of the late summer sun.
Delicate yet bursting with flavour, blackberries’ shiny, midnight-red colour is said to indicate their high levels of antioxidants – among the highest of any fruit. Eating them is said to power your brain and help keep your skin looking youthful – they are a virtuous treat, indeed. Blackberries are as much a part of English heritage as King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. And we challenge you to find a Brit who hasn’t foraged for fresh blackberries in the hedgerows or woods.
But while we might lay claim to them, it’s likely that blackberries originated in Asia or the Americas, and their supposed medicinal qualities have come to the aid of many across the world. During the American Civil War, it’s said that Confederate and Union soldiers would call a truce so they could pick blackberries (often from the same bushes) to make a fruit tea that was thought to help stop infections running rife.
Sticky, sweet and succulent,
blackberries are nature’s prize
In England’s West Country, it was also once believed that you could cure babies of whooping cough by passing them back and forth through a loop of bramble branches. It’s also said that you should leave the first blackberries of the season for the fairies to harvest, or the pesky sprites will spoil the whole crop.
At Jo Malone London, we have partnered the scent of this jewel of the hedgerows with the aromatic, peppery freshness of bay in Blackberry & Bay Cologne. Vibrant and verdant, the savoury smoothness of the bay cuts through the berry’s sweet sharpness to create a fragrance that captures the long, balmy days of autumn. Tart. Juicy. Verdant.