Gooseberry Fool is a classic English dessert, creamy and tart. It tastes best served chilled with a piece of buttery shortbread to dunk into it. Here's our family recipe for both that I grew up eating at home during the summer months.

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To make a fool, you prepare a fruit puree and mix it with a custard and loosely whipped cream. Gooseberries are tart fruit that look like large green pearls with a white vein, and they make the best fool, in my opinion, as they aren't too sweet and are so flavorful. We always make fruit fool with our garden produce, and gooseberry season has always been my favorite.
📖 Ingredients List
For the gooseberry fool
- Gooseberries - this summer fruit is in season from May until September, but June is often the best time to enjoy them. You can use fresh or frozen gooseberries but you may need slightly less water if you use frozen gooseberries.
- White granulated sugar - Gooseberries are a sharp-tasting fruit, so we need to soften the taste somewhat with sugar. However, I prefer for my gooseberry fool to still retain its tart taste, so I do not add too much.
- Water - The water forms the base of the sugar syrup that the gooseberries gently cook in.
- Egg yolks - fresh egg yolks make an unbelievably rich and smooth custard. Here are some ways to use leftover egg whites. Always use room temperature eggs in baking.
- Milk - Whole milk makes the best custard.
- Cream - Heavy cream or double cream is folded into the gooseberry custard in the final stage to give the smoothest, creamiest finish.
For the shortbread
- Unsalted butter - Use the best quality butter you can find, as this will always make the best shortbread.
- White granulated sugar - Simple fine sugar is all you need (also known as caster sugar).
- All-purpose flour - AP flour/plain flour is best for shortbread; it's a great all-rounder.
- Coarse polenta flour - Using a small amount of polenta flour adds amazing color and texture to shortbread.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make gooseberry fool and shortbread cookies.
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
How to make gooseberry fool
- Start with the gooseberry puree. Add the gooseberries, water, and sugar to a large saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Gently simmer for a few minutes until the fruit turns translucent.
- Turn off the heat and mash into a puree with a potato masher (or use an immersion blender). Sieve the fruit puree to remove the seeds and skins, then allow it to cool.
- Place the egg yolks and cornstarch (cornflour) into a large mixing bowl and briskly mix them together with a hand whisk.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium just until it starts to steam, but do not let it boil.
- Very slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture and then return it to the saucepan. Stir it as it cooks for around 5 minutes, and eventually, it will thicken into a gloopy custard that ribbons as you stir the whisk through it.
- Push the custard through a sieve into a clean, separate bowl, and then allow it to cool completely.
- Mix the gooseberry puree and the custard together and taste for sweetness. Add more sugar if you think it needs it.
- Lightly whip some cream, fold it into the gooseberry custard, and chill before serving.
🌟 Top Tips
Do not boil the milk, and be sure to mix it very slowly with the egg yolks or they will scramble!
The acidity in gooseberries will naturally thicken the cream when you add it, so do not overwhip or your gooseberry fool will be too stiff. If it goes lumpy, just give it a whisk, and eventually, it will smooth out.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
This dessert works really well in summer when gooseberries are at the height of their season. I often serve it for dessert after a lunch party, or as a dinner party dessert after a heavier main course where you want something fruity and tangy. I highly recommend serving this gooseberry fool recipe with my polenta shortbread as it's the perfect texture contrast.
🍷 Wine pairing for gooseberry fool
The rich and creamy texture plus a sharp and tangy taste needs something strong to stand up to it, so a chilled white port or perhaps an Oloroso sherry will work well.
Alternatively, a Twinkle cocktail is a great pairing as gooseberry and elderflower work so well together.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
Store gooseberry fool in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days.
You can freeze gooseberry fool at the stage before you fold in the cream. Defrost thoroughly before then proceeding to this step and serving.
Another great way to use up leftover gooseberry fool and shortbread is to pour it into an ice cream machine and make gooseberry ice cream!
🥣 Equipment
Always weigh ingredients with a digital scale for best results .
You will need some Mixing bowls and a Large saucepan, plus a Whisk and a Sieve to make the gooseberry fool. If you're making the shortbread and not buying some, you'll need a Stand mixer and a 9x13 baking pan to make the quantity listed in this recipe.
❓Recipe FAQ
The name of a fruit fool derives from the French word "fouler" which means to mash, or to press.
The processes should cook the egg yolks to a safe temperature of 145F/63C but I recommend only using eggs from chickens that have been vaccinated against salmonella to be on the safe side.
🍽 Other recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
📖 Recipe
Classic Gooseberry Fool With Shortbread
Ingredients
For the gooseberry fool
- 650 g (4⅓ cups) Gooseberries
- 250 g (1¼ cups) White granulated sugar
- 140 ml (⅔ cup) Water
- 285 ml (1⅕ cups) Whole milk
- 3 Egg yolks
- 2 teaspoon Cornstarch (cornflour in UK)
- 285 ml (1⅕ cups) Heavy cream /double cream
For the shortbread
- 225 g (1 cup) Unsalted butter
- 110 g (½ cup) White granulated sugar
- 110 g (⅔ cup) Polenta flour
- 225 g (1¾ cups) All-purpose flour /plain flour
Instructions
For the gooseberry fool
- Add the gooseberries, water, and sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat and gently simmer for a few minutes until the fruit turns translucent. Mash into a puree, and then sieve to remove the seeds and skins. Allow to cool.
- Mix the egg yolks and cornstarch (cornflour) together in a large mixing bowl.
- Heat the milk in a saucepan until it steams, just before simmering point.
- Slowly pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture and whisk to combine.
- Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat whilst stirring until it thickens into a custard. Sieve, and allow to cool.
- Mix the gooseberry puree and the custard together and test it for sweetness, adding more sugar if you prefer it sweeter.
- Lightly whip the cream and fold it into the gooseberry custard. Chill before serving with the shortbread.
For the shortbread
- Preheat the oven to 300℉/150℃ (no fan), and grease and line the baking tin with parchment pap0er.
- Put the softened butter, sugar, and both flours into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Mix on low speed for 10-20 seconds, then turn up to medium for 1-2 minutes until a lumpy dough forms.
- Press the dough into the tin and smooth off the surface with the back of a spoon. Score cutting lines into the surface and prick all over with a fork.
- Bake 40 minutes until golden brown. Leave in the tin to cool but cut through the scored lines to form the cookies. Serve with the chilled gooseberry fool.
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