It has been a great summer for tomatoes. My meals seem to have been crimson, ruby, cherry and all shades of red for months now. What with all the Campari I drink, it’s a wonder I’m not a pretty shade of pink myself.

Growing your own tomatoes leads to weeks of proud feasting, followed by dismay as the sun starts disappearing too soon to ripen the fruit left on the vines. And there comes a time when there are too many. That’s when you need to make what Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall calls “glutney” in his gorgeous new book The River Cottage Year (Hodder & Stoughton, £17.99).

Glutney is chutney made with whatever seasonal fruit and vegetables are oversupplied at the time.

Buying tomatoes isn’t half as much fun as growing them, but lazy beggars (and those with no garden) can’t be choosers. It’s handy to know that tomatoes left sitting in the sun, wind and rain outside the corner shop will still taste better than supermarket specimens.

Thank goodness we don’t yet have the “Florida commercial” tomato developed in the US. It was allegedly tested for strength and durability in the same laboratory that evaluates car bumpers, and was found to have an impact speed of 21km/h before bursting — two and a half times the safety standard for cars. And isn’t that just what the world needs: tomatoes tougher than car bumpers.

The following recipes vary from an instant salad to an overnight technique for semi-drying tomatoes and preserving their flavour for yet another gloriously rich, ripe red meal, after the sun has gone. They all call for tomatoes that go splat when you drop them.

Tomato-philes will delight in the West Dean Totally Tomato Show next weekend; 170 varieties will be on display as well as tastings, talks, garden tours, cooking demonstrations and produce stalls.
West Dean Gardens, West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex (01234 818277; www.westdean.org)

Ingredients
Feeds 4 Takes 10 mins

Sweet, juicy watermelon, salty feta and ripe tomatoes are linked by the sweet-and-sourness of balsamic vinegar. I lived on this throughout the recent heatwave, having pinched the idea from a beachside grill in Greece.

4 thick slices of watermelon
4 ripe tomatoes
200g feta cheese
2tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2tbsp kalamata olives
2tbsp fresh basil leaves

Cut the watermelon slices in half and cut each half into wedges. Cut off and discard the rinds. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, or if large, into sixths or eighths. Rinse the feta cheese and pat dry, then cut into fingers.

Arrange the watermelon, feta and tomatoes in three rows on a large serving platter. Season the tomatoes and drizzle both tomatoes and feta with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Scatter with olives and basil leaves and serve.

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