By adding a handful of cherries to a dish, you are adding not only flavour but colour too. If a dish looks colourful and attractive, it tempts the palate even when ingredients such as cherries and prawns appear to be the most unlikely comb-ination. They go well together, particularly if you finish the dish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a touch of soy sauce. Stir fries are perfect meals for the summer, particularly if they contain all the delicious vegetables being harvested now.

One of the main advantages in cooking a stir fry is that you can make it up as you go, providing you remember to toss in the vegetables that don’t need much cooking at the end, beginning by placing thin slices of carrot and other root vegetables that need to be cooked for a little longer in first.

Whilst I am providing a list of suggested ingredients for a summer stir-fry, it really is a matter of opening the fridge door and peeping into the larder and garden to see what you have to hand. Even a couple of pea pods can make a difference.

Flavourings for stir fries: fine-chopped fresh ginger, chopped cloves of garlic, Soy sauce, chicken stock cubes, dried mustard powder, red or green chilli peppers, fresh lime juice, fresh lemon juice, fresh orange juice and grated zest from lime, lemon and orange, coconut milk n Popular ingredients that don’t take long to cook: chopped mushrooms, spring onions, capsicums, cherry tomatoes, peas, chopped tomatoes, chopped fresh herbs particularly coriander. n More time is required for French and runner beans, purple broccoli and root vegetables such as carrots.

Fruits such as fresh cherries add colour and taste.

Main ingredient can be anything from prawns, sliced chicken, diced lamb, pork or beef steak, sliced duck or turkey.

The trick to getting a stir-fry right is to lay out all your ingredients having prepared and chopped them ready for the wok.

Don’t begin cooking until they are all ready.

Heat enough oil to cover the base of the pan until it is really hot, testing it by tossing in a small piece of raw vegetable. If it sizzles immediately, it is hot enough. Begin by placing the meat or fish into the pan, giving it a couple of minutes and then turning it. Now add the rest of the ingredients you have acquired one by one, stirring as you go.

When most ingredients are done, season and add a little soy sauce, chicken stock too. You should cook all the ingredients so that they are al dente but not so raw as to be inedible.