• Pre-heat your oven to 180oC (fan)

Prep the Apple Base

• Peel and slice your apples into thin pieces

  >About the thickness of a 2p coin (very roughly)

  >Usually, I peel the skins off first but you can leave them on if you prefer. You'll just have a slightly different texture to the base.
  
• Add 2 tbsp of golden caster sugar to the apples and mix together so they are all coated.
• Tip the apples into your baking dish, spread out and flatten down so they're roughly level ontop.

Prep the Crumble

• Add the flour and sugar from the "Crumble" ingredients into a bowl. Mix together.
• Cut your butter into approx. 1cm cubes and add to the flour/sugar mix.
• Wash your hands with reaaally cold water to make them as cold as posible!
• Rub together the butter, sugar and flour with your fingertips until it forms small breadcrumbs.

  >Tip: when you think you're done, shake the bowl and if there are an big bits, they will come to the top - rub those in. Shake and repeat until all the big bits have gone.

  >If you've never got cold hands like me, you might find it easier to use an electric whisk. As soon as you start seeing the butter and flour joining into crumbs (like the pic), STOP! If you whisk beyond this point, it will start to form more of a dough.
  
• Tip the crumble mix over the top of the apples.
• Gently push the mix down to form a more solid top. This will give you biscuit-y clumps of crumble.
• If you're using oats, mix together the "Topping" ingredients and sprinkle over the crumble.
  

Bake

• Place the apple crumble into the centre of the oven for 40 mins.
• If you're using fudge, 10 mins before the end (ie. 30 mins into the cooking time):

  a) cut your fudge pieces into half.

  b) Remove the crumble from the oven and push the fudge pieces into it, right down to the base.

  c) Ideally, push the crumble top back of the fudge to hide it (this makes the fudge form runny little pockets of caramel), but don't worry if you have some poking out (they may just be slightly more solid).
• Remove and leave to cool for at least 5 mins so the crumble top hardens a little

  >Its like shortbread - it will be very soft and fragile to start with, but as it cools it will harden a bit and form little crunchy bits so its worth leaving!