They are among the most versatile of ingredients, which is a good job if you grow them, as you tend to end up with mountains of the things.

I've been harvesting and eating them almost daily since early June, so this is by way of a celebration that they are at last petering out.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs/900g courgettes, finely grated
• Tbsp white flour
• 250g/9oz crumbly cheese, such as Cheshire or Lancashire
• 25g/1oz finely chopped fresh mint
• 140g/5oz wholemeal flour
• 80g/3oz butter or margarine
• Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

What to do

Preheat the oven to 180?C/350?F/Mark 4.

Mix the courgettes and the flour, then add the mint and the cheese, which should be crumbled by hand, though if this proves difficult you can grate it.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and butter, season to taste (I find a lot of pepper goes well with the courgettes) and add the olive oil. Mix well.

Put the courgettes into an oven-proof dish and spread the crumble on top.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve hot with a mixed salad.