Cherries. Probably one of my favourite seasonal British foods other than asparagus.

You can’t beat them picked straight from the tree, of which I have quite a few, but alas as the trees are too old and big and as we don’t use any bird scaring technology (other than me banging a tin tray!) we do not get many cherries.

But being surrounded by many cherry farms, I can still get my fix, so I whipped up a quick Cherry Clafoutis with them.

I would recommend giving this classic no-pastry tart a go as it is quick and very tasty even if it wasn’t the best looking dessert I have ever made!

This is Sarah Raven’s version:

Cherry Clafoutis

Serves 6 – preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5; butter and flour an ovenproof dish or a 23cm frying pan with a detachable handle. Whisk 3 eggs in a large mixing bowl; add 100g sugar, 1tbs vanilla extract, ¼ tsp salt and 50g sifted flour. Mix until smooth then mix in 250ml milk. This can be done 2-3 hours ahead. Pour 1cm of batter into the dish or pan, cover with 450g sweet stoned dessert cherries then pour over the remaining batter. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 40 mins or until puffed and golden brown. Allow to cool a little, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve with crème fraiche.

Don’t get your hogs and cows mixed up!

There has been a lot of talk of late about the dangers of Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), I hadn’t realised quite how dangerous this innocent looking plant was, the toxic sap from the weed increases the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight which, in turn, can lead to burns or blistering. And you only need to touch or brush past it to be affected.

It doesn’t help that it looks a lot like the harmless cow parsley which it is a close relative to, growing up to 5 metres tall with dark green toothy leaves and clusters of umbrella-like white flowers it is mostly found alongside footpaths and riverbanks.

If you are unlucky enough to come into contact with it, wash the affected area with soap and water as soon as possible and cover it up. I would not recommend trying to remove this invasive plant yourself unless you are an expert.