Peaches

Peaches, sent firm on purpose. A ripe peach cannot survive a delivery van in this climate, so these arrive hard and finish on your counter over two or three days.

When they are ready they are for eating over a plate. Grilled or roasted in halves they concentrate and go very well with yoghurt or with grilled meat. Slightly under-ripe peaches are better cooked than raw, so there is no waste if you misjudge it.

Judge ripeness by the smell at the stem and by a slight give along the seam, not by the red blush — the blush is variety, not ripeness. A peach that is soft at the tip but hard at the shoulder needs another day.

Counter, shoulder side down so they do not bruise on the tip, out of the sun. Once fragrant and yielding, the fridge holds them two or three days.

A paper bag speeds ripening by a day. Never refrigerate a hard peach — it goes mealy and never develops flavour.