The hot weather restricts things slightly in August and the choice is somewhat restricted. What it lacks in quantity it makes up in quality. This is the time for sweetcorn, a vegetable that in my native France is mainly fed to pigs and chickens. What a waste (a great trick to butter your corn on the cob is to take a slice of bread, butter it, use it to “polish” the cob with the slice. The soft fruits should be even tastier than in July, look out for greengages. A true Brit fruit, it is a type of plum but with a truly refined taste. Try making a greengage and almond crumble. As English lettuce is in its prime, match it with basil that is in its flush of youth. Skate is at its prime, and rather than eat it hot, why not poach it, remove the flesh and make a salad with capers.