Step 1

Put all of the crumble topping ingredients, except the oats, into a food processor  and pulse until the flour looks like coarse breadcrumbs and the almonds are in chunky pieces. If you don't have a food processor you can rub the butter into the flour, sugar and salt with your finger tips then chop the almonds into small chunky pieces then combine the two.

Step 2

Mix the oats into the crumble topping and then for best results place it in the freezer for 30 mins. There is no need to cover it if it's only for 30 minutes but if it's going to be in there longer be sure to have it in a sealed container or freezer bag. You don't have to freeze it. It's perfectly good if you don't, but better if you do.

Step 3

Peel the apples and cut them in half, then into quarters. Remove the core then cut each quarter into thickish wedges.

Step 4

Peel the pears, cut in half, scoop out the small core with a spoon then cut the stalk and the little end piece off before cutting into wedges.

Step 5

Place the apples and pears in a large bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, cinnamon and flour then stir to distribute.

Step 6

Pour the apple mixture into a baking dish (I used a 9 x 9, 3 inch deep dish and it was a really tight squeeze but I got it all in. Don't use anything smaller than this. Flatten them out evenly then sprinkle over the cranberries and pour over the water.

Step 7

Take the topping out of the freezer and spoon evenly over the top. It's best for goldenness and texture not to flatten it out. Just leave it rustic looking!

Step 8

Place in a pre-heated oven at 400°F and bake for 45 - 50 minutes until golden. Some bubbling around the edges is normal so if your dish is very full, place it on a baking sheet in the oven to catch any overflow.

Step 9

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.