last days of summer

With days still spiking into the sticky mid-30s, I haven't wanted to turn the oven on much. Late summer is all about fruit. The cherries ended as abruptly as they arrived, apricots have had their day, peaches are still doing their thing and plums are stealing the scene.

When it comes to berries I'm a stickler for organics, in season. The local blue berries and strawberries have been spectacular this month - eaten within a day of purchase, at room temperature. Why would you want to trick up such stunning flavours?

There's a hint of autumn in the air, a whisper of cooler days to come. But for now there's a few weeks left of grazing the fruit bowl, lazy salads for dinner and sushi for lunch.