Although it’s nearly the end of the first week of October, there are still plenty of damsons on the trees.

In this short video I pick a few damsons from one of the internal hedges on my patch of garden on the Herefordshire-Shropshire border.

There’s a myth that damsons are nothing but bitter/sharp/sour. Which feeds into another myth that you can’t eat damsons straight off the tree. It’s not true! I wonder if people who think this are confusing damsons with their relatives, the bullaces.

While damsons do add a dimension of tartness, which is an essential counterpoint to dishes based on rich ingredients like game birds, lamb and cheeses, damsons also have a very pleasing sweetness.

Trust me (and watch the video).