It’s in the arena of simple fruit puds that I think the purest and most successful manifestations of my ‘three good things’ idea can be found. I could keep on dreaming up easy, gorgeous fruity threesomes forever. In fact, I found it very hard to stop putting this chapter together.

My recipes fall into two loose categories. There are those that have two, or even three different fruits, with something to balance out the acidity of the fruit. So a tangy blackberry and apple granita is calmed with a cap of cool cream (here), while rhubarb and oranges are tempered with the nutty sugariness of candied chestnuts (here), and in one case it’s a third fruit – creamy, sweet banana – that answers the gentle acidity of apples and pears (here).

Then there are those recipes that are based around just one fruit, that follow a reliably delicious formula: sweet-tart fruit, a starchy, crisp or crunchy carb element and a luscious, creamy dollop of something on top (or underneath, or in the middle). Trifle, in its simplest form, is a good example, comprising fruit, cake, custard/cream. Raspberries, panna cotta, shortbread (here); strawberries, amaretti, ricotta (here, swap); pears, custard, ginger cake (here) – these are tremendous treaty trinities in which each element points up the loveliness of its partners. It’s a formula that works brilliantly at teatime too – scones, cream, strawberries; and even at breakfast – muesli, blueberries, yoghurt.

I hope you will particularly turn to these recipes during the prime season for British fruit: summer and early autumn. From the strawberries, gooseberries and outdoor rhubarb of June, through the raspberries, blueberries, cherries, currants, juicy plums and gages of high summer, and the first pears and apples in September, there is always a fruity harvest for the taking.

So often this homegrown bounty is overlooked in the posh pud stakes, passed over for imported kiwis and passion fruit, or superseded by lemon tarts and mango mousses. We can run a bit low on inspiration when it comes to cooking our native fruit, stuck down a cul-de-sac of crumbles and pavlovas. Both of these are fine puds, but there’s so much more to explore and relish.

It pays to stock up on some of these perfect partners, so you always have them handy: a little honey and various shades of sugar; pud-worthy biscuits such as shortbread and gingernuts; a tub of vanilla ice cream, or a carton of wholemilk yoghurt, or just plain cream. Then, when the ripe fruit starts dropping into your lap, you’re just minutes away from a luscious fruity plateful!