Bush babies

Was ever a fruit so maliciously and misguidedly maligned as the gooseberry? Which other fruit has to put up with being known as the unwelcome party at the feast? Nobody wants to play gooseberry (whereas blowing a raspberry, despite its farty connotations, has a certain childish glee about it) and "Old Gooseberry" has even been used as a nickname for the devil himself.

It's no doubt its tartness, hairiness and prickly branches have led to such ignominious associations, but the gooseberry's arrival at this time of year could not be more welcome. All winter and spring stalwart rhubarb and stored Bramley apples have worked hard at keeping something tart, fruity and local to hand for the pudding lover, but by early June their pleasures are wearing a bit thin. The first gooseberries may be a little harsh, and need a load of sugar, but they can always be enhanced by cooking with a few sprays of elderflowers, to lend an aromatic, muscatty note. As gooseberries get more sunshine, their own complex aromas build up. By July elderflowers will be done, but gooseberries will have a floral, scented dimension of their own

As soon as the early ones fatten on the branches, it's time to thin them out, picking about half to prolong the cropping season and letting the ones that remain grow larger, sweeter and fuller of flavour. Transform these early treats into tarts, ice creams, fools and jellies - and if elderflower isn't easily to hand, a few drops of orange flower water make a diverting alternative.

Gooseberries' tartness provides a delicious counterpoint to rich, fatty meats and smoked fish, so try gooseberry sauces, relishes and stuffings with duck, pork and smoked fish. The French for gooseberry is groseille à maquereau, which gives a Gallic seal of approval to the smoked mackerel and gooseberry sauce recipe here.

Naturally, I would encourage you to grow your own - they thrive in our cool climate and are pretty undemanding. Just make sure you keep them pruned into a nice open bush, so there's enough air circulating about the branches to prevent mildew - it makes it easier to avoid the fiendish thorns when picking them, too. If you have limited space, gooseberry bushes can easily be grown in large pots. Invicta's a good all-round, disease-resistant variety.

With a little planning, you can ensure a good supply all through the summer, with the green ones coming first, then white, yellow and red ones later. Warmed in the sun, the later ones are juicy and full of sweet flavour, perfect for devouring raw in fruit salads or straight from the bush in greedy handfuls.

Gooseberry sauce for smoked mackerel

The sweet acidity of the gooseberries is delicious with smoked fish, especially mackerel. Serves four as a first course or light lunch.

200g gooseberries

20g caster sugar

2 tsp good, prepared creamed horseradish

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

Four smoked mackerel fillets

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Salad leaves

Rinse the gooseberries and tip into a pan with a tablespoon or two of water and the sugar. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the gooseberries are soft - don't stir vigorously because you don't want them to break up too much. Remove from the heat, stir in the horseradish and taste. Add salt, pepper and more sugar if required, though you want it to be quite tart.

Heat the grill until it's very hot. Season the mackerel with salt and black pepper, and put a small knob of butter on each one. Flash under the grill until warmed then serve with a dollop or two of gooseberry sauce and the leaves dressed in a simple vinaigrette.

Cucumber and gooseberry soup

This refreshing and pretty soup is great hot or chilled. Serves six.

1½ tbsp unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

3-4 cucumbers (about 1kg), peeled, halved, seeded, cut crosswise into 2cm-thick slices

200g potato, peeled, cut into 1cm dice

100g gooseberries, topped and tailed

800ml chicken stock

250ml crème fraîche or sour cream

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

70g smoked salmon or trout, cut into ribbons

Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sweat until softened and translucent, about five minutes. Add the cucumber, potato and gooseberries, and stir for a minute. Add the stock and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the cucumbers, gooseberries and potato are tender (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Purée in a food processor until smooth, return to the pan and cool slightly.

Whisk in 125ml of the crème fraîche, adjust the seasoning and ladle into six bowls. Swirl more crème fraîche over each serving, then sprinkle with the smoked fish. Alternatively, refrigerate the soup for a few hours before serving in chilled bowls, finished with the crème fraîche and smoked fish.

Gooseberry curd

I got this recipe from Pam Corbin, known at River Cottage as "Pam Jam". You could also use it as the filling for a spectacular gooseberry meringue pie. Makes five 225g jars.

450g gooseberries

2-3 unwaxed organic lemons, zested and juiced (you need 100ml juice)

125g unsalted butter

450g granulated sugar

4-5 large eggs, well beaten (you need 200ml beaten egg)

Put the gooseberries in a pan with 100ml water and the lemon zest. Cook gently until very soft, then rub through a nylon sieve. Put the butter, sugar, lemon juice and gooseberry purée into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture is hot and glossy, allow it to cool slightly (it should read no higher than 60C on a sugar thermometer), pour in the eggs through a sieve and whisk in with a balloon whisk.

Stir the curd over a very gentle heat, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few minutes, until thick and creamy - nine to 10 minutes; the temperature on a sugar thermometer should reach 82-84C. Pour immediately into warmed, sterilised jars and seal. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within four weeks.

Gooseberry compote with custard and yogurt

A winning mix of sweet, tart and creamy. Serves six.

1kg gooseberries

60g caster sugar

A couple of splashes of orange flower water (optional)

For the custard

250ml whole milk

250ml double cream

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

50g caster sugar

2 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

To serve

500ml thick, rich yogurt

First make the custard. Scald the milk and cream with the vanilla pod, then leave to infuse for a few minutes. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pod into the hot milk and cream, and leave the pod in the liquid.

Whisk together the sugar, eggs and yolks in a bowl, and pour the hot milk and cream over them. Whisk and return to the pan, over a very low heat. Warm gently, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove and discard the vanilla pod. Cool and then chill the custard, covered in a circle of greaseproof paper to stop a skin forming. It should be thick but pourable when set.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Scatter the gooseberries on an oven tray and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 20-30 minutes until tender. Drain, reserving the liquid. Put two-thirds of the gooseberries in a blender and whizz until smooth - add a little of the reserved liquid (and the orange flower water, if using) until you get the consistency you like. Pass through a sieve to remove the seeds, then combine with the whole gooseberries. Chill the compote.

To serve, put a couple of tablespoons of the compote into a slightly tilted bowl, turn the bowl a little, spoon a couple of tablespoons of custard alongside the compote, tilt again, and do the same with the thick yogurt. Repeat with five more bowls. The idea is that the three elements - custard, gooseberry and yogurt - stay approximately separate in the bowl. It's the eater's prerogative to dip and mix - a little, a lot or not at all - sampling different proportions of the three elements, separately or together, as they wish.

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