Fruit

A brief respite in the strawberry and raspberry season will be followed by the autumn second-cropping at the end of this month. Look out especially for Scottish raspberries. Connoisseurs are supposed to be able to tell from which side of the country they come by flavour and appearance alone; something to do with the Gulf Stream, I expect.

Peaches, nectarines and melons are at their peak this month. A friend serves them in a salad just sprinkled with Amaretto, the almond flavoured liqueur, or fresh fruit juice with a few drops of ratafia essence, which brings out the sweetness beautifully. Yellow honeydew melons are particularly good at the beginning of August. Watermelons will get larger through the month until they are sold by the slice as well as whole.