The humble crumble is our go-to winter dessert — a warm, low-waste favourite that transforms rescued fruit and pantry staples into pure comfort.
The Humble Crumble
There’s something about a crumble that feels like a hug in a bowl. It’s warm, generous, and endlessly adaptable — the kind of dessert that welcomes whatever fruit you’ve got lying around and turns it into something glorious and delicious.
At Everybody Eats, we love a crumble not just because it’s delicious (which it always is), but because it speaks directly to our kaupapa: using what we have, wasting nothing, and feeding everyone with dignity and warmth.
Crumble is a celebration of seasonality and scrappiness. It’s the perfect dish for using up fruit that’s past its prime - bruised apples, soft pears, or that lonely feijoa hanging out at the back of the fridge. Nothing needs to be perfect to go into a crumble, ideally the riper & softer the better - that’s part of its charm.
We stew or roast the fruit with spices, sugar, citrus peel, and whatever else might enhance it - think star anise with pears, orange zest with rhubarb, cinnamon and ginger with apples. Once cooled, the stewed fruit can be stored for days in the fridge and used when needed, which is ideal when you're serving hundreds of people each week like we do.
Our crumble topping is a little like a biscuit or a muesli bar — made from oats, sugar, oil or butter (depending on dietary needs), flour (regular or gluten-free), and always a handful of pantry surprises. We’ve added everything from desiccated coconut to bran, crushed nuts, dark chocolate chips, dried fruit, and even a sprinkle of leftover granola.
The key? We cook it separately until it’s crisp, then store it in big jars - it keeps well in a dry pantry for weeks. This means we can simply warm up the stewed fruit, spoon on the crumble topping, and serve with consistency across hundreds of plates a night. No soggy tops, no last-minute baking - just streamlined, scalable, soul-soothing dessert.
At the restaurant, we serve it warm with either a choice of custard, yoghurt, or cream - whatever our rescue has provided us. It’s simple, nostalgic, and satisfying - the kind of dish that brings people back to the table, often for seconds.
Some of our recent favourites:
Why we love it:
So here’s to The Humble Crumble — the unsung hero of the winter kitchen. May it warm bellies, reduces waste, and bring smiles to tables across our restaurants.
