A huge variety of plums come into season in Italy during July. The commercially grown ones are scarcely any better than those available in Britain, indeed are often the same plums from the same cooperatives of growers. The less perfect looking but marvellously flavoursome home-grown plums available from the ‘contadine’ (literally small-holding peasant women) in Orvieto market are another matter altogether.

Cooking plums is difficult, as they often turn incredibly sour or disintegrat