In the kitchen
The fruits' high pectin content makes them extremely good for jellies, jams and fruit cheese; they are also used to make chutneys and a variation of sloe gin. However, damsons are not just for preserving. They can be stewed to make compotes, or pie and crumble fillings. (If you find the taste of damsons is too strong, combine them with apples or blackberries.)

Damsons produce wonderful ice cream when puréed and churned with an equal volume of crème fraiche or mascarpone. Alternatively, make a sweet-sour damson sauce with sherry, sugar, and fresh spices such as root ginger to serve with fatty meats such as duck, lamb or pork.

Varieties
Cultivated damsons are sweeter and more versatile than the smaller wild damsons you may find growing in some hedgerows. Cumbria's Lyth Valley is particularly renowned for its damsons. Varieties are rarely specified in greengrocers, however there are ten listed in the National Fruit Collection, including Farleigh and Bradley's King, Blue Violet and Merryweather.

Preparation
Avoid fruit with bruised or damaged skins. Like other stone fruits, damsons can be slit in half around the middle and twisted sharply to make the stone accessible. Ease the stone out with your fingers or a knife. The stones can be discarded, or cracked with a hammer and added to the pot as an almond-like flavouring.

However, it's not essential to stone damsons before turning them into jam or purée. Once the sugar is added and the mixture is brought to a full boil, the stones will rise to the surface, seemingly by magic, to be skimmed off with a slotted spoon.