How to model blackberries

Separate 40g of modelling chocolate into four sections and colour in shades of claret and blackberry.

Take a small ball of blackberry coloured chocolate and make into a ball. Using a 24 gauge green wire cut to 10cm (you can always trim it later) make a loop and push it into the centre of the ball and pinch into place. Roll the join between the thumb and middle finger to smooth the join.

Make tiny balls for the flesh of the berries and when made mix up the colours for a realistic finish. Stick them onto the larger wired ball, they should adhere without glue if they are still slightly soft. If they have gone cold and hard you may need to use a little bit of edible glue. Make three of these berries and paint with glaze when firm.

For the leaves, colour 40g of flowerpaste leaf green. Rub some Trex onto your grooved board and roll out 5g of paste to double the length of the rose leaf cutter that you have chosen, using your cel stick.

Paint on a small amount of edible glue. Place a 10cm length of 24 gauge green wire onto the paste on the groove not even halfway up.

Fold over the paste and gently but firmly press down. Using your chosen rose leaf cutter, cut through the two layers of paste. You may need to tidy up around the wire if it hasn’t cut through neatly there.

Take one of the blackberry leaf veiners and press the leaf. Set aside to dry. Make eight in total in varying sizes.

When dry, dust with ivy green and burgundy dusts around the edges, working inwards. Cover the wire in the brown florist tape.

Tape two of the three separate berries to three leaves, and two to one of them. The two with three leaves tape to the central branch with the bird with the brown florist tape. The berry with two leaves should then be put into a small flower pick as it will be placed at the base of the cake.