Plums

Whether a deep purple, bright red or blushed yellow, plums make a glorious jam or compote, and you must try caramelising them before using as the base of a crumble. They also work well in savoury food- think a sticky sauce with Chinese five spice. 

During the UK season, when we buy every crate we can, we don’t imagine you’ll need any advice for dealing with them beyond not choking on the pip in your eagerness for another. Plums are one of things we can get patriotic about, from sunset-like Victorias, to the ones that come with a dusty mauve 'bloom' (a clever ruse by the plant to deter insects and control water levels).