Plums Kees Hamelink

It has been a few years since Kees Hamelink and his sister Annemiek became famous throughout the Netherlands. A supermarket found sixty tonnes — 60,000 kilos — of Kees's plums three millimetres too small to sell. Annemiek put the story on social media, after which it was shared tens of thousands of times. The happy result: Kees eventually sold every single plum.

Kees is one of the largest plum growers in the Netherlands, but above all a passionate craftsman. He grows varieties including Opal, Jubileum and Reine Victoria. Each variety has its own colour, texture and flavour, but they share one thing: they are wonderfully juicy and sweet.

Perhaps the best thing is that you can buy these plums directly from Kees. On the tree this morning, in the self-service stall this afternoon. Those few millimetres suddenly stop mattering at all. Plums are only available in limited quantities, from July to mid-September, depending on variety and weather.