Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings and Damson Cheese

Damsons seem to be one of those quintessential British fruits, like quinces, elderberries and medlars, that come and go all too quickly. Apart, of course, from jams or chutneys, however, they don’t feature very much in the cook’s repertoire – perhaps because taking out the stones and thus treating them like plums is too labour-intensive. A ‘cheese’ is nothing but a much-reduced fruit purée made with fruit high in acidity and therefore needing plenty of balancing sugar, and thus achieving t