Have you ever lain beneath a fig tree in full fruit? It’s one of those memories I can return to instantly.

Emerging back into civilisation from an off grid, tiny cabin experience with Louis just in the nick of time to tell you about this weekend’s column where I write about figs. 

When it came to recipes, simplicity wins. The best figs I’ve eaten have needed very little.  Here, I’ve kept things just as re-strained – a salad of figs torn open, scattered over peppery leaves, with milky mozzarella and candied walnuts. It’s as much about contrast as restraint.

Then, when the figs aren’t quite perfect, because not all of them are, well, that’s when a ­little heat can help. Paired with crisp chicken thighs, radicchio and a sticky balsamic glaze, they become something richer, darker, and perfect for this turn in the season. 

I can’t help thinking the purples, deep reds and browns here are the perfect palette for autumn.