Stewed damsons
I think one of the best things to do with damsons is to keep it simple and stew them with sugar. I tend to cook them straight from frozen, they just need a little bit longer in the oven. It’s hard to beat them when they are served with custard. My girls love to mix the damson juice with the custard to make a vivid pink pudding. We each save all the damson stones and then see who we are going to marry by counting them saying “Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief’ and then we count them again to see how we are going to travel to church on the wedding day “coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, muck cart”. It’s daft but it has to be done.
It’s hard to give precise measurements here because it will depend on how tart or sweet you like your damsons. I like mine to taste tart and then be sweetened by the custard.
Serves 4
300g (10oz) frozen damsons
5 dessertspoons demerara sugar
Put the damsons and sugar into an ovenproof bowl and bake at 180°c for 20 minutes until the damsons are soft and have begun to burst out of their skins.
Serve warm with plenty of warm custard.
