There’s a windfall of delicious plums to be gathered in gardens and pick-your-own farms up and down the country right now, but they’re often overlooked. Instead, it’s peaches, nectarines and apricots that get all the glory. Well, more for me! Plums that haven’t flown in from far-flung places are best: sweet, tart, fleshy and complex in flavour. It’s a no-brainer to earmark them for comforting cakes and puddings, but they are an equally worthy companion for meat, such as duck, pork or fried chicken, because their natural sharpness cuts through any fatty richness.