Hi, I wouldn't say I was an authority on plums, but I would say these were sloes, Derek.

Thanks Derek, that's what I thought at first, but I just tasted one and it wasn't sour or sharp like I imagined, but reasonably sweet, shame cos there are plenty of em, just don't know what to do with a sloe!

Hi, get a kilner jar, bottle of gin, put the gin and a few sloes in the jar, after a few days, turn the jar upside down, another few days, turn the right way up, keep on doing this, and by Christmas you will have a bottle of sloe gin, Derek.

Cheers Derek!

Are they not damsons - sloes are usually only the size of blackcurrants

They do look like big sloes, best way to check are there big thorns on the branches?? and if you tasted it and thought it was good then they are not sloes...

Hi, as I said I'm no expert, but my late wife made sloe gin about 30 years ago, and that's what they looked like, if they are damsons you can make damson gin !!!, Derek.

Bit big for Damsons too. I would go more for a Plum. There are plenty of 'blue' plums around.
Victoria is red and yellow fleshed not blue like that.
Czar is a good round plum of that colour.

Damsons are sweet like plums and have an oval stone in the middle like plums - sloes have a small round stone, are very sharp tasting and grow on a bush not a tree. The only reason I think they are damsons is we have a tree in the garden which my father planted and said was a damson and he was an expert gardener (but he could have been wrong)

Sloes have very thorny stems and plums and damsons don't. If they are very very bitter with thorny stems go for sloes. Otherwise get them eaten and never mind the name - you are lucky to have such an abundance!

I have a damson tree which has ripe fruit at the moment and the photograph looks like damsons to me, the size looks right and the leaves look the same as my tree too. Damsons taste quite sweet when ripe, not at all bitter.

We have a Damson wood and being in Shropshire they are likely to be Shropshire Damson. Ours are longer and more pointed than the one shown. They are also a more purple hue rather than blue like this one (unless that is the camera).

Blooming big sloes if that's what they are! I picked them every year to make sloe gin and they are impossible to eat. I would go with damsons or plums.

No way could you eat sloes! The only way to enjoy them is well soaked in gin - and even then, you need plenty of sugar and 6 months!

Thank you everyone! Well there are no thorns on the branches..it's a tree not a bush, the fruit is sweet, so I reckon they are damsons. I'd better get myself a damson jam recipe asap!... (Oh and the stone is oval)..

Stewed with cream, crumbles, eaten raw by the handful oooh you are going to enjoy yourself!--

Good idea Steragram, crumble with clotted cream I think!

:~))