A Treat For Nut Lovers

Walked into town again today to buy materials to make a birthday card and passed this old-fashioned fruit and veg shop. They had 'wet cobnuts' for sale which are not often seen in supermarkets.

Cobnuts are a type of hazelnut, also known as 'filberts'. They've been around in Britain since the 16th century.

The main season for cobnuts is August-October. The crops are picked by hand and, as they are generally resistant to disease, most are grown organically. Fresh and unprocessed, cobnuts can be eaten moist straight after picking in late August and September, when they have the texture of a sweet chestnut; these are ''wet cobnuts'.

As they turn brown in the autumn, the cobnuts dry out and the starch inside turns to sugar and they become much sweeter. You can shell and toast them in the oven (10-15 minutes at 180C/360F/gas mark 5½) for a tasty snack.