Wandering in a market, I find a stall brimming with shiny, vibrantly green, smooth skinned (and what appear to be unripe) fruit glistening like emeralds in the morning sun. A sign says ‘erik’, the Turkish word for a greengage, a member of the plum family.

They are often preferred early in the season when not sweet (tatlı) and eaten post dinner as nibbles with a side of salt and a glass of rakı. Not only are they lip-puckeringly good, they are a great source of Vitamins A, C, K so are good for the skin, bones, organ function, immune system and are a powerful antioxidant.

Greengages originate from Iran (Persia). The fruit trees were first imported to England by Sir William Gage, 2nd Baronet of Hengrave from the monks of the Chatreuse in France in 1725. The labels on the trees (Grosse Reine Claude) were rubbed off in passage and when they bore fruit the Gage’s gardener called them ‘green Gage’.

Due to their high pectin levels, they are a good fruit for preserving. A dollop of chutney cuts through fatty meats and fish such as mackerel.

For me, when greengages are this crisp and fresh, I prefer to eat them the Turkish way, so have incorporated them in a salad with seasonal ingredients; Jersey Royals, locally foraged ransoms, a few petals of pink onion, shredded red cabbage, cubes of creamy Dolcelatte, slices of cold smoked venison and a scattering of pomegranate seeds as a nod to the greengages homeland. Serve with a mint and yuzu yoghurt dressing and a pide on the side.