Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)

AKA: Wimberry, Blaeberry, Whortleberry, Huckleberry, Blueberry.

Where: Hilly areas, moorland, covering areas of heath - prefers acid soils. Particularly in North.

What: Berries only

When: July – September, occasionally later

The Bilberry. Ah, the Bilberry. What can we say about this shiny black berry. It is definitely my favourite fruit and I have great childhood memories of picking Bilberries in the hills above Macclesfield with my family. It is a relative of the larger North American Blueberry, but is superior in every way, especially flavour, and is criminally underused as a fruit, being relatively unheard of despite being relatively common – I still have people, smart worldly people, pull a blank face when I mention the Bilberry.

The Bilberry prefers acid soil and the hillsides and peaks of sandstone areas, and are much more common in the north and midlands, and especially in the Peak District and Cheshire Pennines where the environment is perfect. The bush is low, measuring up to a maximum of 70cm, and whilst can occur in isolated patches, is usually to be found in vast swathes. 

The leaf is small, measuring up to 1cm, pointed oval in shape with a slightly toothed edge, and is a mid green with occasional brown or black dots, quite thick, and has a prominent mid-rib. Taken as a whole, the plant is quite straggly looking and somewhat sparse, being tough and wiry like heather, with which it shares the same environment, and has thick brown stems, and green twiggy new growth with reddening tips.

The small (<1cm) delicate flowers arrive in spring (April/May) and are a pink, white, and purple mix, and, hanging down, they resemble lamps, drooping with a central dark stamen. These disappear by June, when the berries appear. Starting small and red, but gradually growing to 1cm and darkening to a shiny deep purple with a whitish bloom and a prominent calyx by late July/August, they resemble small blueberries of the kind you can buy in supermarkets. Although they are an autumn fruit, I have picked them in mid December before now, so keep checking your areas. Taste wise – oh man! Fruity, but with a depth, subtle and deep sweet, but also tart! Just pop a few into your mouth and taste for yourselves, but be warned their purple juice stains like nothing else… it’s like being tattooed! They are great in tarts and pies (a favourite of mine), as a jam, they make great sorbets and fantastic wines.

People often complain about the amount of work that goes into picking the Bilberry – a lot of effort for little gain. I say rubbish! You are not finding the good bushes! Keep looking, and you will find the ones that are literally dripping with fruit. That’s no to say that picking isn’t backbreaking at times. There are Bilberry pickers – like combs with a collecting box underneath – but you end up losing more than you collect, which seems incredibly wasteful. No, far better to grin and bear the back pain… it will make you appreciate the wondrous bounty all the more!