Plums, damsons and greengages come into their own this month and are at their best and juiciest, both for eating and preserving. The first English apples and dessert pears are also starting to appear, and peaches should reach the lowest price of the season; plump home-grown courgettes keep company with marrows stacked high on market stalls and in greengrocer shops, and can be enjoyed in a variety of different dishes, with courgettes not being considered such a luxury as they were some twenty years ago.

And with September, the peak month for fruit and vegetables, we can enjoy all that is British and homegrown with the dazzling variety of fruit and vegetables available in this month's recipes.

PLUM AND APPLE CHUTNEY

This chutney keeps well, has a sharp fruity taste and goes well with cheese or cold pork.

Yields: (5lb)

Ingredients: 900g (2lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped. 450g (1lb) plums stoned and halved. 1.35kg onions, chopped. 225g seedless raisins. 700g Demerara sugar. 225g sultanas. 600ml malt vinegar. 1 tablespoon ground mixed spice. Grated rind and juice of l lemon. 1 teaspoon salt. Method: Place the apples and plums together in a stainless steel preserving pan with the remaining ingredients. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is smooth and thick, with no excess liquid. Then pot and seal, and store for at least 6 weeks before using.

RUNNER BEAN CHUTNEY

You may be lucky and still picking your own runner beans, if not, they can still be bought in most farms shops and supermarkets. This chutney is very good and also keeps well.

Yields: 4-5lb.

Ingredients: 900g runner beans. 4 or 5 large onions. 700g Demerara sugar. 1½ tablespoons mustard. 1½ tablespoons cornflour. 1½ tablespoons turmeric. 900ml malt vinegar. 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper. Method: Put beans and onions through mincer before cooking in salt water until tender. Drain well. Put in pan with 700ml (1¼ pints) vinegar. Boil for ¼ hour. Mix cornflour, mustard, pepper and turmeric with rest of vinegar. Add to mixture with sugar and boil for 1 hour.


BLACKBERRY AND APPLE JELLY

I try not to let September pass without making this jelly, which is delicious spread on scones or just plain bread and butter.

Ingredients: 1.8kg blackberries. 1.8kg cooking apples. 1½ litres of water. Granulated sugar. Method: Rinse the fruit. Cut up the apples without peeling or coring. Simmer the blackberries and apples separately with the water for about 1 hour until the fruits are tender. Mash apples well and allow to drip through a jelly bag and follow the same procedure for the blackberries. Measure the juices and bring to the boil, then stir in the sugar, 450g to each 600ml of juice. Boil rapidly until it sets. Pot into warmed jar, cover with waxed discs and tie down.

COURGETTE AND PEPPER SOUP

This recipe was given to me by the Bishop of St. Edmundsbury and Ipswich (Bishop Richard, recently retired) to put in my first cookbook. It's since become a firm favourite with family and friends, and is a good way of using up a glut of courgettes – it freezes well too!

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients: 450g courgettes, grated. 1 red and l green pepper, finely diced. 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes. 4 sticks of celery, chopped. 1 small onion, chopped. 3 cloves garlic, peeled. 25g butter. 1.2 litres vegetable stock. 6-8 basil leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried basil. Seasoning. Method: In a large pan sweat off the celery, onion and garlic in the butter. Add half of the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and basil. Allow to cool then liquidise until smooth. Put back into pan, add remaining stock, the courgettes and peppers, season well and bring back to just below boiling point, (at this stage 1 tbsp of cornflour can be added if a thick soup is preferred), simmer for 5-10 minutes. Do not boil.


BLACKCURRANT AND PEAR COBBLER

This month will see the last of the blackcurrants, so I try to make as many desserts and pots of jam as I can with this delicious little berry. Pears with blackcurrants make an unusual combination and give an added syrupy flavour to the pudding.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients: 225g plain flour. 2 teaspoons baking powder. 35g butter. 50g caster sugar. 150ml milk. For the filling: 3 fairly ripe pears, thinly peeled and sliced. 450g fresh blackcurrants. 50g granulated sugar. 1 small beaten egg. Method: Sift flour with baking powder and rub in butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and add the milk, mix to a soft dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Mix the fruit with sugar and place in an ovenproof dish. Roll out the scone dough to 1cm thickness and cut into circles with a small pastry cutter, then arrange over
the fruit. Glaze with beaten egg and bake in preheated oven 220C, 425F, Gas Mk 7 for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 180C, 350F, Gas Mk 4 and bake for a further 20 minutes. Serve with custard of cream.

Next month, with the Glorious Twelfth in full swing, we will celebrate the peak of the game season with delicious rich flavours in our recipe column.