Gooseberry picking is not for the faint hearted. Each year I emerge from the bushes with scratches up and down my arms and thorns drawing blood from my fingertips. No wonder, then, that gooseberries are rarely seen in our shops these days. Any intrepid pickers would deserve danger money.

This year I order a pair of leather ( non vegan!) gauntlets and they arrived last week. I tested them on the nettles and spent days pulling out the stinging plants. My gloves protected me to the detriment of the nettles. Yesterday I picked a bowlful of gooseberries without any injury. Hooray!