Cooking with apricots

Sweet, refreshing and soft, apricots work well with both sweet and savoury dishes. What's more, 2 apricots (100g) provide 50% of your recommended daily allowance of carotene. Perfect for kick-starting that tan!

> How to choose apricots
Apricots should be soft. That's all there is to it really. They will be very fragrant if they're fully ripe, less so if they're picked too early!

> Apricots go well with:
Herbs: rosemary goes particularly well, as do basil and thyme.
Spices: cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, ginger and cumin.
Cheeses: fresh or dried goat's cheese, mozzarella, blue cheese and parmesan.
Dried fruit and grains: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios and coconuts.
Meat: pork and duck.

> Recipes:
Roasted apricots with basil and parmesan
Apricot tart