It’s not often that I find myself spurred to bake a cake, but the sight of a punnet of lovely fresh nectarines got me ...

Meanwhile, quarter and stone the nectarines. Then thickly slice each quarter and drop into the lavender syrup. Simmer gently for a further 5 minutes or until the fruit is only just cooked.

Nectarines don’t need peeling, but if you want to peel them for use in a pie, cover the ripe fruit with boiling water, leaves for 15 seconds, then drain and peel. If poaching nectarines, don’t ...