With the days drawing in and autumn finally upon us, UK orchards are abundant with fruits. Deliciously ripe plums lend themselves to an array of warming sweet and savoury dishes to keep those cooler, darker days at bay.
Available from late summer and through October, plums were thought to have arrived in Britain along with the Romans. British plum growing expanded significantly during Victorian times, with regional varieties such as Pershore, Warwickshire Drooper and the more well-known Victoria, all still popular today.
Autumn is the perfect time to make chutneys using plums, apples and tomatoes that are all in plentiful supply. Bubble away in pickling vinegar and demerara sugar and flavour with a little chilli for a spicy kick. Plum jams, jellies and compotes are a simple joy to produce and make perfect homemade gifts too.
Plum sauce accompanying crispy duck or pork belly cuts through the succulent fat adding a contrasting tangy sweetness. Try braised pork or beef with the addition of plums, ginger and garlic with tomatoes and stock. You’ll find the plums add a delicate fruitiness which melts through the sauce during long slow cooking. You could also try adding plums to a savoury traybake with sausages, chicken thighs or roasted vegetables.
Sweet and juicy Victoria plums are particularly good eaten raw but are also perfect for tarts, crumbles and cakes. A particular favourite in our house is plum and almond crumble cake, with a light, delicately sweet and buttery crumb, topped with slightly sharp plums and a crumbly almond topping. It’s delicious served warm with clotted cream, yogurt or custard.
For a quick dessert and a variation on the French dish clafoutis, replace the cherries with plums, and cook in a soft, custard-like batter in the oven until golden and just set. Alternatively, roast plums in the oven with a little orange rind and juice, add cinnamon or ginger and star anise and sweeten with maple syrup, serve warm with mascarpone.
Preserve some of your abundant crop by halving and de-stoning the fruit, add brandy with caster sugar, a cinnamon stick or a strip of lemon peel, and enjoy alongside your plum pudding at Christmas, if you can resist it until then!
Food stylist and home economist Linda Lee has more than 30 years’ experience developing, writing and styling recipes for some of the world’s biggest food brands. www.instagram.com/lindaleefoodstylist
