I have no idea why I have a supply of crytalised ginger.

Makes enough for 12 slices

180g self raising flour

180g soft butter

180g golden caster sugar

100g ground almonds

50g crystalised ginger, chopped

3 eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 plums, sliced

More butter to line the tin (I used a 25 cm round springform, but a large loaf tin would do)

Beat all of the ingredients except the plums together till light and whippy. Butter your tin then core and slice the plums and lay them in the buttered tin (in concentric circles if you feel fancy), pile the batter on top and cook for about 40 minutes (grid rack on the bottom of the Aga roasting oven with the cool shelf 2 rows above, or 180 degrees in a normal oven). No need to bother skinning the plums. Who has time to blanch when they’re hunting down phones that a toddler has stored in the fridge?

We had ours warm with plain yoghurt. Something about the sugary, gingery plums makes me think of Christmas, but that’s the second time I’ve dropped the C bomb today (I booked Bert a storytelling session with Father Christmas) and I must now stop till November at the earliest.