Exotic fruits you'll love

Generally speaking (and as with most fruit and vegetable varieties, there are exceptions to the rule) the summer versions are eaten fresh in their growing season and have a soft skin which is not peeled for eating. They have a high water content and need only a short cooking time. They can also be eaten raw.

Some well-known summer squashes are zucchini (which is simply the Italian and American word for courgette) in both the green and yellow versions, crookneck and pattypan. The latter is the tiny squatty one that usually come in packs with other baby vegetables. In recent years, it's also become fashionable in trendy restaurants to leave the flowers on some of the small, delicate summer squashes.

Winter squash have a hard outer skin, having matured on the vine, making them perfect for storing over the winter. The hard skin is peeled and discarded, leaving the soft inner flesh for many different cooking methods.

Some of the winter squash names you may come across in the shops recently are butternut, hubbard, buttercup, cushaw, calabaza, kabocha, acorn, spaghetti and of course, pumpkin.

The flesh is full of flavour and has many uses in any number of dishes. It can be steamed, boiled, mashed or roasted on its own or used as an ingredient in pies, stews and soups.

Recipes:

• Courgette Stuffed with Moroccan Lamb and Pinenuts
• Simply Roasted Winter Squash
• Butternut Mash with Onion and Bacon
• Classic Pumpkin Pie
• Pumpkin Soup in a Pumpkin

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