Plump plums are impossible to enjoy without the mandatory dribble of juice down your chin. With tart skins and succulently sweet flesh, plums are perfect for eating fresh or baked in something suitably crumbly.

Plums or prunes (when dried) contain much dietary fibre, lending them quite a reputation in this, erm, area. Vitamin C, the powerful natural antioxidant, is also abundant in plums, as are vitamin A and beta carotene. The fruit is also rich in minerals like potassium, fluoride and iron, and B-complex vitamins.

Quick plummy ideas:
• For a zesty meat-free Monday, try a plum and feta tabouleh.
• This smoothie with plums, pistachio nuts and pomegranate rubies is good enough for dessert.
• For a fresh side salad, top butter lettuce with rocket, sliced plums, mange tout and Danish feta. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
• Plums make an interesting addition to a roast chicken with rosemary and garlic. Only add the plums for the second half of the cooking process.
• The fruit can add a bit of extra juiciness and flavour to lamb shanks. Use your normal recipe and herbs like rosemary and thyme, but add halved plums to the casserole for the whole cooking process.
• Make a simple sambal of plums, onion and mint for serving alongside curry or fish.
• Plum ice cream is easy to make. This is a great recipe for cinnamon and roasted plum ice cream on the Delicious Days blog.
• Plum pie, plum crumble, plum tarte tatin, plum clafoutis… in terms of baked desserts, the options are endless. Most recipes calling for apple or berries would work just as well with plums.

Image by Ahisgett