Plum Sugar Each

The Sugar plum earns its name. Smaller than most plums, it is also sweeter, with a concentrated flavour and a thin, yielding skin that makes it an almost effortless eat. When they are ripe they are genuinely one of the most satisfying stone fruits of the summer.

Sugar plums are at their best from November through January when Australian stone fruit orchards are at peak ripeness. They have a shorter season than standard plums, so buy them when you see them at their best.

Look for plums that are deeply coloured and give slightly to gentle pressure. Avoid rock-hard fruit with no give, or anything very soft and damaged. Leave firm ones on the bench for a day to finish ripening.

Eat them fresh by the handful, halve over yoghurt or porridge, or bake into a clafoutis or crumble where their natural sweetness does most of the work.