In the heat of June and July, cherries are in full season; dark, shiny and plump they sit jewel-like in their simple punnets. Just a plate eaten unadorned is enough, a refreshing and delicious treat, but poaching them adds a new dimension and even the dullest cherries become delicious.  We have Kent cherries on our pudding menu and have a cherry, walnut and parsley salad on the mezze plate.

One of our favourite ways to poach cherries is in anis (a Spanish liqueur made from aniseed). They can then be used in a number of ways: served with custard or yoghurt ice cream, or used in a tart (see Tarta de Cerezas in Moro: The Cookbook) if you can wait that long to dig in.

As anyone knows who eats at our restaurants or reads our books, we love ice cream and sorbets, and so never pass up the opportunity to use seasonal fruit where possible. Perfect for hot summer days, the recipe for our Cherry and Anis sorbet, served with lemon biscuits, is in Moro East – the colour is sublime and the texture is as rich and velvety as our Moro curtain!