Fruit has always been where summer gastronomy is at, but never more so than in recent years thanks to rise of the #fruitgram effect! With no less than 18.4k Instagram posts dedicated to the beauty and deliciousness of fruit in all its forms, it’s no surprise that ‘Exotic Fruit' is now even a trending search on Google. As wonderful as the likes of dragon fruit, papaya and passionfruit are, however, we needn’t necessarily look much further than UK shores for a trinity of summer lovelies to brighten up our breakfasts or desserts. Most of these (strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries) are available in supermarkets, farm shops and markets, but arguably the best source has to be a pick-your-own farm. The locally grown movement is seeing many flock from the supermarkets to local ‘U-Pick’ farms... and this has further reaching benefits than you might think! For starters, adding a PYO facility often proves an effective way for farms to remain or become more sustainable, with another ‘eco friendly’ advantage being that the fruits picked in this way are all minimally packaged. Both of these side benefits make for a positive step towards greater sustainability, which on Sustainable Gastronomy Day is an incentive worthy of every fruit-eater’s consideration. From a personal perspective, GYO is generally cheaper (bonus!!) and it means you can exercise your own quality control, so there’s less waste too! The process is also a valuable experience in reconnecting with nature, and a pleasant reminder of where the food we often take for granted comes from, and the leg work involved in harvesting it for our enjoyment!