Chocolate Dipped Cherries

It's cherry season and the cherry orchards across the country, from Kent to Bedfordshire, to Norfolk, and all the way up to Scotland are sending piles and piles of glorious, shining fruits to the markets and grocers, to pop up stalls in lay-bys and pub car parks. We turned our old crooked tree into a work of art trying to protect the fruit from the birds this year. It worked. We got a harvest, albeit a small one. The deluge of rain just before they ripened caused many of them to split, and at that moment I learnt the real meaning of to cherry-pick. Picking out the very best fruit from the broken and bruised took care and attention, but it was oh so worth it for a plate of perfect homegrown cherries The season for cherries is shortlived, so here's to making the most of it whilst it lasts.This is an excellent dessert for the baking adverse, or a really simple way to make a decadent treat. There's something so throwback about chocolate dipped fruit that I find immensely joyful- a little sexy, a little fun, these are guaranteed to make it look like you made a serious effort when really you did almost nothing.

Ingredients

• Approx 30 Cherries
• 500 g White Chocolate
• 500 g Dark Chocolate

Method

Wash and dry your cherries and place them in the fridge to cool. This will help the chocolate set shiny. Make a bain-marie, (a fancy way of saying a hot water bath  - basically a pot of boiling water on the hob, with another smaller vessel floating in it, as chocolate can be temperamental with direct heat.) Melt the chocolate of your choice in the floating vessel. It will gently melt. Set aside a plate with a sheet of baking parchment laid over it. Dip the cherries one at a time in the chocolate and gently lay on the baking sheet. Place in the fridge to set for at least 15 minutes.