'Why do I allow the fuchsias in my garden to live on? Because, despite their visual shortcomings, I am a fool for edible pleasure'

I’d very much like to do away with the fuchsias in the garden. Their flowers remind me of the earrings worn by those who all too quickly invite themselves to give you their rendition of Summertime . Were my garden in their native South America, I might think more favourably of those flowers, as they’ve evolved to be highly attractive to the hummingbirds that pollinate them, but here in east Devon, I am hummingbird-less and it’s bees who do the pollinating.

Why do I allow the fuchsias in my garden to live on? Because, despite their visual shortcomings, I am a fool for edible pleasure. The fruit can be really exceptional, with an intense flavour of plum, kiwi, grape and black-currant, with a peculiar — but very pleasant — hint of black pepper. I say ‘can’: the generic fuchsia can be a lit