I was shopping in my greengrocers the other week when I saw the most magnificent peaches and nectarines. Knowing that it was way to early in the season for these fruits that are the harbingers of Summer, I asked where they were from and was told Queensland, which is in the tropical part of Australia.

Invariably, the first seasonal fruits are always a disappointment. In search of a good price for being the first into market, these fruits are never fully ripe, rather, sour and acid, but every year, people longing for their taste buy them, then wonder where their flavour has gone. Not for me these fruits, I wait until the price falls before buying, not because I'm being frugal, it's just that price is the best indicator of ripe fruit. For instance the price of raspberries has started falling as the berries get ever riper and it would seem in a couple of weeks they should be fully ripe.

But at this time of the year I'm contenting myself with cherries as the early varieties are in and are fabulous right now. We bought a kilo and a half last weekend and they were gone in two days! In fact I was lucky to have enough for a cherry clafoutis that I made on Monday, which was inspired in part by Cook Sister, and the fact that I've never made one before. Jeanne, I've always meant to say I was sorry for my suggestion in comments, sometimes I write before I think!

I won't give a recipe here, for Jeanne's is a good one to follow, though I would say I did make it in a tart shell which seemed quite successful and another reason is that I felt that the cherry flavour whilst there, seemed somehow muted. I'm going to wait for the sour cherries to come in and give them a go to see if it gives the whole thing a bit of a lift, but I'll need to be quick as the sour cherry season is quite short, lasting only a couple of weeks. But in the meantime, before the sour cherries start I will give you a recipe for cherry vodka, for I want to whet your appetite for an upcoming event, where you might be able to get your hands on a bottle, so watch out for that.

The other thing worth noting is that in stoning the cherries, the juice is very staining and makes you look like you have murdered someone....messily. But I'm sure I could at least invite Ed around for a piece, because I got every last stone out!