Fresh this week: Plums are deliciously good, with plenty of varieties to tempt your tastebuds. Red and black-fleshed plums are plentiful and you may find a few greengages appearing now too. Their colour gives greengages a tart appearance but they are in fact very sweet—excellent for eating and preserving. Peaches, nectarines and blueberries continue to be good buying, as are capsicums, cucumbers, courgettes, avocados and sweetcorn.
What to look for: New potatoes are very good eating and buying (the season ends at the end of this month). You can buy them boxed or bagged, washed or not, but either way keep them in a cool, dark place because bright light will turn them green. Look for firm, smooth potatoes with no discolouration or cuts.
Try it in: Perlas and jersey bennes make great potato salads, or boil or steam them until just tender before smashing them by pressing with a potato masher. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast them in an oven dish in a hot oven for 20 minutes until golden and crunchy. Scatter with chopped olives, smashed garlic cloves and rosemary or sage leaves for the last five minutes of cooking.
Turkish potatoes and chickpeas
