In the spirit of Great British Bake Off returning to our screens, and with autumn just around the corner, we’d like to share with you our favourite warming dessert: blackberry and apple crumble.

Nothing is more stereotypically British than a classic crumble. With a perfect crunchy topping and a sweet, warm filling, this pudding is a firm favourite.

Follow along for the recipe to enjoy this delicious treat, perfect when the seasons change. Even better, while living at The Green and enjoying the wonderful nature surrounding Kilnwood Vale, you might even find some wild berries for you to sprinkle in!

What you’ll need:

2 large bramley apples
3 crisp eating apples (eg Cox)
250g blackberries
2-3 teaspoons of cornflower
100-150g of caster sugar, depending on how sweet the fruit it
–
240g of plain flour
150g of butter, cubed
120g of demerara sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/gas 5. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl to begin making the crumble topping. Add the cubed, room temperature butter. Rub the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Continue rubbing in until the mixture begins to stick together to form small pea-size clumps. Stir in the demerara sugar.
2. Peel and thinly slice the bramley apples and place into a bowl. Peel and slice the eating apples, slicing them into slightly thicker wedges. Add to the bowl, along with the blackberries, and mix together.
3. Mix the cornflour with the caster sugar. Add this to the bowl of fruit and mix together well. Set aside for a few minutes to allow the fruit juices to seep out and make the sugar mix damp. Mix again until the cornflour sticks to the fruit.
4. Spoon the fruit mix into a large baking dress, and pack into an even layer.
5. Spoon the crumble mix in an even layer across the fruit.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is tender.
7. Serve and enjoy – why not add some custard, cream or ice cream?

We hope you’ll enjoy this classic British pudding, perfectly suited for the colder nights to come. And if you keep up with your baking, we might even see you on GBBO in the future!

How easy is it to get to London?

Thinking of living at The Green and commuting to London? It couldn’t be more simple!

Located in West Sussex, Crawley is a popular choice for those looking for a more relaxed lifestyle but still with the ability to commute into London. Conveniently positioned near Gatwick Airport and travel links such as the M3 and M25, Crawley is the perfect base.

The Green is on the outskirts of Crawley, located near the stunning landscapes of High Weald, a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. Situated in the countryside, but still with easy access into Crawley centre and larger surrounding cities such as Brighton, Guildford and London, The Green is the ideal location.

There is a direct train that leaves from Faygate station, a short 4-minute drive. From Faygate, it then takes just under an hour to get into London Victoria with one change. There’s a direct train from Crawley to London Bridge that will get you there in roughly 50 minutes and you can be right in the midst of the city.

Crawley to Camden – 1 hour 30 minutes

Crawley to Canary Wharf – 1 hour 3 minutes

Crawley to London Bridge – 46 minutes

Crawley to Kensington – 1 hour 3 minutes

Not a fan of the city? How about the coast – you can get to Brighton in under 40 minutes by car or 35 minutes on the train. Make the most of what’s left of summer at the seaside! Keen on cycling? You could get there in 2 hours and 15 minutes and you’d get to experience miles and miles (23.5 miles to be precise!) of beautiful countryside.

Here at The Green, we know how hard choosing what to have for dinner can be. That’s why we decided to make it a bit easier for you this month!

Our latest Resident Event had a special guest: Meat the Chef

Serving up fresh, made to order chicken burgers and sides, this pop-up was exclusively available for our residents to enjoy – just one of many great perks of living here.

It was another popular event with 85 of our lovely residents joining us for food, as well as a DJ set.

Our RSMs work tirelessly to ensure that The Green is running smoothly every day and they are always thinking of fun new events to run for our residents, so it’s nice to see them enjoying the festivities too!

Fancy being at our next event? Enquire today to find out more about The Green.

Like What You Hear? Come and Take A Look Around!

Fancy a kick about? A game of tennis or badminton? We’ve got just the place… Our multi-use sports court is perfect for you if you want to stretch your legs, burn off some energy and get some fresh air. Free to use and book out for all of our residents, the sports court is all yours!

The Green’s Outdoor Sports Court

How big is The Sports Court?
The Sports Court is big enough to play all your favourite sports on and big enough for group exercise classes! But specifically, it is 40m long and nearly 13m wide.

How many sports can be played on it?
Football, basketball, tennis, foot-tennis… pretty much any ball sports! Most types of ball sports can be played due to the various markings on the pitch. The court also has the potential for additional activities such as boot camp and personal training classes!

What is the Court currently used for?
We are currently trying to start a Tennis Club at The Green, and we run exercise classes every week out on the court in summer. These include a Circuits group and a Boxercise class. There’s also a 5-a-side football team which will always relish playing new people!

To book The Sports Court, just get in touch with our onsite team or use our residents’ smart app.

Come and take a tour of The Green to see what we have to offer residents – including our fantastic outdoors Sports Court and all our other amenities.

Ever need some extra space to workout? Can’t find a good venue for your next party? Or could you do with a quiet area away from the outside world in which to get work done? The Hall is the answer to all these needs and more; our multi-use events space for residents and one of the superb amenities available to you at The Green.

As a resident, The Hall is an events space you can reserve for whatever you need it for. This is also where we host our exclusive resident events and activities. It has many strings to its bow: yoga classes, group workouts, meetings, parties, lectures, dinners, workspace, study area and more; we’ve made sure The Hall can be the space you need (and want) it to be.

The Hall at The Green

How big is The Hall?
The Hall is a 27ft by 13ft events space

What can you use The Hall for?
It’s up to you! The Hall has a number of uses, with tables and chairs available if you need them. Yoga mats are also available, and there are a number of fitness classes that already take place in The Hall – some led by residents, others by a qualified Personal Trainer. As a resident, you’re more than welcome to join in with them!

What’s The Hall like when you’re inside?
The Hall has low-level windows fitted with blinds for ventilation and privacy screening. It features a vaulted ceiling with suspended LED spot lighting and wood flooring too, with the whole events space finished in neutral colours. There is access from The Lounge and the corridor that leads through the Clubhouse.

Are there any other facilities in The Hall?
The wifi internet connection available in The Lounge extends into The Hall too.

Can I book The Hall for private events?
Yes, you can! The Hall can be reserved for any private event if you need a bit more space for your guests. It’s not a problem to use the tables and chairs that we have; you’re free to bring food and drink in too.

To book The Hall, just get in touch with our onsite team or use our residents’ smart app.

Come and take a tour of The Green to see what we have to offer residents – including our fantastic events space in The Hall and all our other amenities.

You’ll have heard us say it before, but we think we’re creating something really special here at The Green. It’s a great place to rent a home in Crawley, and not just because our houses and apartments are second-to-none. Nor is it only about the onsite amenities we’re making available to residents. It’s about creating a community and serving the people within it too.

Our resident services team is right at the heart of everything that goes on. Anyone living here will have noticed David Taylor around The Green already; fixing issues and making sure that everything is running like clockwork. Never short of a friendly smile or a chirpy “hello”, we’d like to invite you to find out a bit more about David – our Facilities Manager.

Hello David! How are things?

Hi there! Things are going great, thanks for asking…

What’s your background? What did you do before joining The Green?

I come from a background in facilities block management and engineering in iconic, exclusive landmark residential buildings. I’m well used to dealing with numerous issues relating to maintenance, security and health and safety. I have extensive professional qualifications in this field; I’m also a member of professional bodies such as Nebosh.

What do you think is the best bit about your role at The Green?

The best thing about my role at The Green is working in a professional environment; striving to bring our residents closer together and to form a really close-knit, safe community.

What is a typical day like for you at The Green?

On a day-to-day basis, I’ll be maintaining the site and discussing issue with engineers to resolve problems. I’ll also advise on how to make our site more efficient, safe and cost-effective to run; proactive in carrying out both the hard and the soft services here!

What do you do when you’re not at work? Do you have any hobbies/interests?

My hobbies when I’m not at The Green include walking and travelling. I also have a martial arts background too.

If a resident asked you for a recommendation for a) dinner, b) a day trip or c) a local attraction, what would you suggest?

The best local attraction, in my opinion, are the Seven Sisters near Brighton. Here you’ll find beautiful coastal paths and wild nature. If it’s a good restaurant you’re after, The Salt Rooms in Brighton does amazing fish dishes too.

Thank you for your time David – we’ll let you get back to it!

David – with Chris and Emma – is part of our outstanding resident services team here. And our team will always be looking out for you when you rent one of our stunning homes.

Like What You Hear? Come and Take A Look Around!

A great place to live, a lovely new home AND access to a free, onsite gym? We’re sold. Here at The Green, our fab fitness facility is one of the many onsite amenities we provide for all our residents. For a gentle weekend workout or intense conditioning session; our gym is kitted out with everything you need.

That’s right. If your search for a home to rent in Crawley leads you to The Green, this gym is yours to use as you see fit (no pun intended!). It’s an ideal alternative to a costly health club membership. And it’s another example of how we offer more than just a place to call home. Now, we invite you to take an in-depth look at what our onsite gym has to offer…

The Gym at The Green

Our 400sq ft (37.2sq m) gym has eight pieces of equipment, featuring a suite of state-of-the-art Technogym pieces: a Multiplex workout station, two treadmills, a cross trainer, an exercise bike and an overhead press machine, as well as a leg curl/extender. A medicine ball stand is also at hand too. As you can see, everything’s there for a full-body workout!

Need a little something to drive you on? No problem! Our gym boasts a 55in Samsung Smart TV, offering a range of Freeview TV and radio channels. It’s also hooked up to our Sonos Playbar and surround sound speakers, which means you can pump out the tunes when you have a pace to keep up. Or to just find something to have in the background.

It has the tech, it has the spec and it has much more too. Our gym is naturally-ventilated for your comfort; fitted with frosted glass for your privacy, plus raised level windows facing south to let in plenty of bright, natural light. Exercise mats are on hand too. And if you’re needing an introduction, a qualified personal trainer is on hand for a free induction.

The Green’s gym has the same opening times as the rest of the Clubhouse: 6am–10pm. That means you can be the early bird that catches the worm, or the night owl for a late workout. Like all our onsite amenities, we’re striving to make your money go further with this fitness facility. Why not come and see for yourself?

Come and view our homes for rent in Crawley

Our resident events are an important part of making everyone feel part of our community here at The Green. And there can be no better reason to get people to come together than in aid of a good cause. That’s just what we did on Thursday 17 May; our team organised a Curry & Chaat Night for the Mental Health Foundation’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

The Green Resident Events: Curry & Chaat Night

The latest in our programme of resident events, our Curry & Chaat Night proved to be a huge success. In addition to sampling a selection of fantastic Indian cuisine, our residents helped us to raise £115.30 towards the Mental Health Foundation. Chris and Patrycja, our resident services managers, were more than happy to get involved serving the food too!

You can see from the photos how delicious the food was; dishes including chicken korma, lamb masala and vegetable curry. The Green’s team would like to thank residents for their generous support. And we also wish to thank local restaurant Horsham Tandoori for kindly supplying the food and catering equipment to help make the event the success that it was.

Don’t forget to keep a lookout for details of upcoming resident events at The Green!

Has our latest resident event tempted you? Come and explore what life at The Green is all about – request a private viewing of our homes for rent and unique new community today.