Good enough to eat

●● Growing gooseberries

Delicious gooseberry fools, coulis and even gooseberry-based sauces to enhance rich, sweet meats will add a zing to summer dining.

They are among the easiest soft fruits to grow and there are hundreds of classic green, red, yellow or white types, along with mildew-resistant or thornless ones, which can be grown as bushes, fans, cordons or standards. They should be planted in autumn or early winter in full sun or light shade in well-drained soil.

Once planted, dress with high potash fertiliser in spring and mulch with compost, water well in dry weather and start harvesting from late spring onwards.

The first unripe berries can be thinned and used for cooking, the remaining ones left to ripen for dessert use.

Prune them when the crop is over, cutting out damaged wood.