Delicious Damsons

We have already made damson and orange jam and damson chutney, and I thought that would be it for this year. However, a really nice, anonymous person left loads of the truly scrumptious little fruits in the playground near us, with carrier bags and a note, inviting people to help themselves. George saw them when taking Ruby for a walk and brought some home.

I felt, never having made it before, and with a sister living near the damson-growing area of Cumbria, where this dish is a speciality, that I had to make a Damson Cobbler, so put the words into Google and up popped pages of links. The one that caught my eye belonged to Rick Stein, who George and I love, so that had to be the one! It is from his Food Heroes book, and is very easy to make. One note for anyone who wants to make it - if you can't buy buttermilk, or don't want to buy a larger quantity than you need, use the same amount of natural yogurt - it works brilliantly.

As for the finished dish - WOW!!!! It is the most delicious, tastebud-tingling pud I can ever remember eating, and the crunchiness of the almond-topped 'scones' is lovely. It is also very pretty, with the deep crimson juice bubbling through the topping. Now I need more damsons - in fact I may have to get a tree!

And a big thank you to the generous soul who left the damsons in Hague Bar playground.