Punnets of apricots can often be good value. My usual way of cooking apricots is to poach them, halved, in a syrup with a dash of brandy and a few blanched apricot kernels But when you find perfect apricots, this way of poaching them whole is delicious.

Make a syrup by first boiling and then letting simmer for about 15 minutes, most of a bottle of white wine with 50g of caster sugar together with a few strips of lemon peel (unwaxed), a vanilla pod (or few drops of vanilla essence), 2 bay leaves, 12 black peppercorns and a tender shoot or two of rosemary.

Add about 24 whole apricots. Bring the syrup back to the boil. Cover, then take off the heat and allow the apricots to cool in the syrup. (If the apricots are hard, you may need to simmer them for five minutes or so before taking them off the heat.)

Take the apricots from the syrup and put them into a bowl. Return the pan of syrup (and all the flavourings) to the heat and let it boil until the syrup is sufficiently reduced. Allow it to cool before straining and pouring the syrup onto the apricots.

Serve with cream, ice cream or mascarpone.