Picota cherries are available for just a few short weeks (their season runs from mid-June through to August) so if you spot some – your local ASDA has them in punnets (£1 for 450g) – grab some!

“Picota cherries have been grown and hand-picked by family farmers form the beautiful Jerte Valley in the region of Extremadura for hundreds of years. This unique fruit is juicy, has a deep sweet flavour and like a good bottle of wine, is protected by Denomination of Origin status – they are not grown anywhere else in the world.

You’ll notice these cherries fo not have a salk. This is beacause, in the mild, sunny climate of the Jerte Valley, Picota cherries ripen slowly – for up to twice as long as other cherries – and the stalk naturally detaches from the fruit when it is picked.”

Picota cherries are delicious eaten oin their own or in a bowl with some good quality vanilla ice cream – add a splash of Pedro Ximenez for an additional flourish. Each punnet I opened contained a recipe booklet offering differing recipes created by José Pizarro – chef patron of the Brindisa tapas restaurants. the dish pictured is a variation of their Serrano Ham and Manchego Salad. Full details can be seen on SpittoonExtra.