When it comes to any fruit, my catch-cry is always to trust my nose and wait for the fruit to be perfumed, then flavour will follow. I can’t remember how long I have been on my soapbox about this but I do know it was a batch of ‘beautiful looking’ apricots that got me on that box in the first place. I remember being seduced by the first apricots of the season, large and deep orange, only to discover when my jam making was done, that apricots picked under ripe will still develop colour but only a smidgeon of flavour, and I had no choice but to throw my efforts away. It was then and there I made a mental note to myself never to base my choice of soft fruit on appearance alone, it absolutely must smell deliciously ripe! -MB