Dried plums make a great addition to oatmeal, yogurt, salads, or smoothies; occasionally, they can be used in baking. Choose unsulfured and organic fruits that are not chemically processed.

I often do a version of poached plums baking them on low heat with sugar, a vanilla bean, and a drop of water and letting them slowly soften and bake. You will get lots of juice that way.

Along with a lot of not traditionally Italian baking, the good old English crumble has seemed to be gaining popularity – even modishness – in Italy. By all means, use other-coloured plums ...

sweet and spicy plum cake– great as a pudding or with afternoon tea. If you’ve never tried making a cake, this would be a great place to start. Set the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Use baking ...