Autumn is plum time, and native damsons are having their moment of glory. We look towards the Marches, where the ancient English variety known as the Shropshire Prune is undergoing a revival, and speak to expert Catherine Moran to find out more.
As docile plum and sumptuous greengage begin to appear on greengrocers’ shelves and market stalls this month, do look out for their peculiarly English relation, the deep-blue, sweet-tart damson. Small in size and oval in shape, it’s been cultivated here since Anglo-Saxon or Roman times and exercises a certain fascination owing to its fine, distinctive flavour.
Abundant along a swath of England and Wales from Herefordshire to the Lakes, the Shropshire Prune is a classic damson, and one of our oldest native cultivars. When Catherine Moran, a Slow Food campaigner living on the Herefordshire/Shropshire border, came across the tiny purple fruit growing on her land, she was captivated by its multidimensional flavour. “It’s quite extraordinary,” she says. “It has bright, vibrant top notes, but also serious depth, and goes on for a long time in your mouth. It has an astringency – I would describe it as punchy but with sweetness.”
Catherine made good use of her crop, along with her own blackcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries, plum, pear and apple, at the artisan food company she ran for a time, and continues to champion the Shropshire Prune, along with fellow growers, campaigners, cooks and food historians. Will Holland, then head chef at La Bécasse in Ludlow for six years, took part in a demo at ‘Damson Day’ in Orleton in 2011; this week, as part of Ludlow Food Festival, David Jaram of Fishmore Hall will be cooking sweet and savoury damson dishes – including venison with damson sauce, and sweet damson sushi – while Catherine explains the Shropshire Prune’s history and characteristics.
Lore has it that damsons from the Midlands were historically in demand for dyeing textiles, especially in Lancashire at the height of the cloth industry and, says Catherine, for gloves in Leominster and carpets in Kidderminster. Grown as a cash crop on a small scale for centuries, they’ve long been prized for making jams, jellies and chutneys, damson wine, and a sweeter version of sloe gin. Catherine recommends pairing the Shropshire Prune with apple to make chutney, making damson cheese to serve with Camembert (see recipe below), or liqueur to add to gravy, and deploying them in sauces for game dishes. “It’s interesting that this variety has lasted so many centuries,” she says. “I think it must be because of the wonderful flavour.” See for yourself: try Catherine’s recipe for damson cheese, and tell us what you think.
Ancient Fruit, Timeless Taste: Damson Dishes Both Savoury and Sweet, 3.30pm, Friday 13 September 2013, Beacon Room, Ludlow Castle. Tickets, £8.- http://www.foodfestival.co.uk