The next couple of recipes here on a Friday have been tailored especially

to make use of some of the most fleeting ingredients available to us as the summer whizzes past at breakneck speed.

Almost as soon as the berries and currants appear, they’re gone again for another year, and I find this a terrible shame, as they’re my all-time favourite fruits.

Next week we’ll be making use of my absolute favourite, the blackcurrant, and I’ll drone on and on about their wondrousness then, but the rest of the berries and currants that are in their prime at this point in summer are worth praising too.

I find them to be endlessly versatile in all manner of cooking, from classic desserts and baking to savoury applications. I love their intensity of flavour, the vibrant colours and their fresh tartness.

There’s very little, in my opinion, to match the pleasure of unveiling a deep ruby-red Summer Pudding and cutting it open to reveal the colours within. The dark, fragrant blackcurrants, perfumed raspberries, sweet strawberries and eye-poppingly tart redcurrants are a heavenly combination, a real joyous celebration of our summer fruit harvest.

I can’t think of a fruit I don’t like, but if I were to choose, it would always be those succulent berries and cherries every time. And cherries is what we’re using today.

This is a great recipe if you have a tree in your garden, because we’re ideally after a slightly tart cherry, to add contrast to the creamy flavours of the dish.

If the birds haven’t stripped the trees already, get out and beat them to it. We are host to a particularly greedy and thuggish band of starlings at the moment, locust-like in their appetite, who will descend en-masse on anything edible and finish it messily within minutes.

It’s nice to see starlings back locally, though. As a child growing up locally, I remember with great affection the wheeling clouds of starlings above Huddersfield on summer evenings; the whistling and the whirring, the ever-changing patterns as the murmuration rode the warm air above the town.

So if they want a bit of fruit, I say let them have it, but do try to share.

Cherries are, at this time of summer, in absolutely perfect condition. Deep, dark and juicy, full of sharp flavour and ideal for using fresh and also in cooked dishes.

You can bake tarts, cakes and pies, make jams and jellies, even pickle them, and this week I thought I’d pair them with a fresh goat’s cheese to make a summery starter that’s absolutely in the moment.

It’s a mid-temperature dish, only slightly warm, which is perfect for these conditions. We’re making a gel again, with the fresh fruit and sweet-sour balsamic but if you don’t fancy that, just make a simple purée using the same amounts of fresh fruit and vinegar.

This lovely sharp sauce, along with the creamy cheese and some bitter, crisp leaves makes a wonderful tongue-tingling way to start a meal. I’ve added the extra flavour of some deeply-toasted almonds here too, as they pair well with the cheese and are a perfect fit with cherries. Don’t forget, we’re doing blackcurrants next week, so while they’re kicking round the house on holiday, get those lazy kids to help with the picking.

If you don’t have your own plants, there’s plenty of Pick-Your-Own farms nearby, especially out towards York. It makes for a fun day out, if a little messy.

Just remember those stain digesters when you get back!

FOR THE GOAT’S CHEESE:

4 x 120g logs of fresh goat’s cheese

2 eggs, beaten

6 thick slices white bread

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

FOR THE CHERRY BALSAMIC GEL:

Approx. 12 ripe cherries

100ml balsamic vinegar

A pinch of sugar

1g agar agar powder

FOR THE SALAD:

120g watercress

150g baby spinach

4 small white chicory, leaves separated

1 large radicchio, roughly shredded

2 baby gem lettuces

50g flaked almonds

A handful fresh cherries, stoned and halved

Extra-Virgin olive oil

METHOD:

First, quickly toast the almonds under a grill or in a hot oven until deeply golden. Set aside to cool.

For the gel, stone the cherries and chop into the vinegar in a small pan. Heat until bubbling, then simmer until the fruit is soft.

Pass through a fine non-reactive sieve and bring back to the boil. Sprinkle in the agar powder and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Tip into a tub and refrigerate until set. Then, blend the jelly to a smooth gel and set to one side until service.

Make the bread into crumbs by whizzing in a blender or food processor, and tip into a deep bowl.

Crack the eggs into a similar bowl and whisk until mixed.

Cut each goat’s log into three equal pieces and dip into the egg, then roll in the crumbs. When you’ve done all of the pieces, repeat the egg and crumb process and set the pieces on a plate. Chill until ready.

Heat a pan of oil to about 120ºC, or until a small piece of bread sizzles on contact.

Gently lower the cheeses into the oil in small batches, trying to touch them as little as possible (I use a small slotted spoon) allowing them to become a deep golden colour. Remove from the oil, drain, then place on kitchen roll in a warm place until all the cheeses have been cooked.

To serve, arrange the leaves on individual plates or one large serving platter.

Place splodges or smears of cherry gel around the plate and drizzle with plenty of good olive oil.

Sprinkle the toasted almonds over the top, add a few fresh cherry halves and finish by arranging the deep-fried goat’s cheese pieces on the leaves. Serve straight away.