RENOWNED for their strong, sour flavour, damsons are a juicy autumn fruit available from early August. Equally appetising in sweet dishes as they are in savoury ones, damsons contain a large stone which we don’t remove in our first two recipes – so be sure to remind your guests.

This damson, cinnamon and nut crumble is a truly fantastic and homely dessert which we serve with a scoop or two of hazelnut ice cream.

For the crumble topping you need: 175g whole-wheat flour, 75g chopped nuts, 75g soft dark brown sugar and 75g butter. For the filling you will need 900g damsons, 175g Demerara sugar, 1 tsp ground cinnamon.

Place flour in a large mixing bowl, and rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the brown sugar and nuts and mix well.

Next wash the damsons in cold running water and place them in an oven proof pie dish. Mix together the Demerara sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the damsons. Spread the crumble topping over the damsons and bake in a preheated oven (190°C/gas mark 5) for 30-40 mins or until the topping is golden. Serve warm with ice cream.

For our damson cobbler you will need 225g self raising flour, 2 tsps baking powder, 75g butter, 200g caster sugar, 1 egg, 100ml milk, a pinch of salt, 900g damsons (washed and de-stalked) and some flaked almonds.

For the topping, sift the flour, baking powder, salt and half the caster sugar into a food processor. Add the butter and blend together until resembling breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg and milk together and add to the mixture until a light, soft, sticky dough forms.

Now spread the damsons over a shallow oven proof pie dish and sprinkle the remaining caster sugar over them. Drop tablespoonfuls of the cobbler mixture over the damsons leaving a small space between each one. Sprinkle the almonds over the top and bake in a preheated oven (190°C/gas mark 5) for 30-35 mins. Serve with a large dollop of crème fraiche.

Finally we switch to savoury with this damson ketchup recipe which goes perfectly with both hot and cold meats.

To make 1½ litres of ketchup you will need 3kg damsons (stones removed), 225g currants, 3 small onions (chopped), 2 pints white wine vinegar, 50g salt, 450g Demerara sugar and a tied bag of spices (which can be bought).

Remove stones from damsons and place the fruit in a large heavy bottomed saucepan with the currants, onions and the bag of spices. Add half the vinegar, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 mins or until the mixture is soft. Remove the spices and blitz in a food processor until smooth. Return the puree to the pan and add the bag of spices, salt, sugar and the remaining vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 1½-2 hours or until the ketchup has reduced to about 1½ litres. Stir the mixture now and again to prevent it from sticking. Leave to cool and serve.