PYO

I may be growing my own but I'm not going to have enough of anything just yet and certainly not of fruit. I have counted my gooseberries on the fingers of one hand. There are fewer blackcurrants and no redcurrants. And I haven't planted any strawberries. Shops are all very well but if you want to buy enough to produce jam or lots of puddings and not break the bank, then a pick-your-own farm is what you need.

Tredilion Fruit Farm is just past Abergavenny on a hill with glorious views of the Skirrid, Sugar Loaf and Blorenge. They have a small farm shop stocked with lots of lovely fruit and vegetables. And fields of strawberries, gooseberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants, plums, apples, beans, peas and so on. You don't have to live in the country to get to a PYO. I used to visit one on the edge of London in Enfield. A lovely day out for the kids, assuming they behave themselves and don't damage or eat too much of the fruit.

In half an hour I picked over 2.5 kilos of strawberries and a pound of gooseberries. Total cost, just over £6. (For comparison, Waitrose are selling English strawberries for just over £8 a kilo and they aren't selling gooseberries at all when their store is only 3 miles from the fruit farm.) Tomorrow Tom and I shall make jam. Tonight we had strawberries and creme fraiche. As for the gooseberries - elderflower and gooseberry fool. Heaven.