Nothing more tasty than home grown fruit!

Today I picked the remaining fruits from my Plum Tree. An act which somehow felt very sacred. It’s totally different from picking up a box from the supermarket. It’s difficult to explain but watching these fruits grow and swell over the summer months . Carefully nurturing them. Worrying that they haven’t sufficient water or afraid they will be eaten by hungry insects and birds. Watching the colours change and, of course, that moment when the flavours from that first ripe fruit burst in your mouth. It has been a truly sensory journey. Today there is a feeling of elation seeing that the tree still holds sufficient fruits for a last harvest, but also sadness knowing that I must now wait another year for the next crop.

On our table is a bowl holding the last fresh fruits and in the oven is a tray of sumptuous caramelised plums to enjoy over the winter. If they remain that long!

This is such a delicious, quick and easy recipe. You should try!

Simply wash the plums and cut in half. Remove the stones if possible but difficult ones can be removed after cooking. Spread in a baking tin. Sprinkle with a heaped tablespoon of cane sugar. Pour over a wineglass of red wine and a measure of Red Martini.

Placed tin in a preset oven at 200C (fan) .

Cook for 30 minutes.

Turn off oven and leave till tray is sufficiently cool to remove. Serve warm with whipped cream, yoghurt of plain ice cream.

If there is insufficient juice then I just add a glug of wine to the tray while it is still hot.

I doubt you will have any left over but, if you do pack into sterilised jars and store in the fridge,