Michelle Darmody: How to bake the classic cherry tart — and the mistakes to avoid

Commercially grown cherries that we buy in shops are grown for the bigger sweeter berries they provide. A fresh cherry should have a shiny, taut skin and no soft patches. 

We have native wild cherries that grow in Ireland, but unfortunately these do not reach a sweetness level to be eaten, but they can be used for making jams and sauces. 

There are a few weeks in the year when the price of cherries drops much lower than in other months. 

I tend to buy quite a lot of them at this time, simply for eating as they are, but also for use in baking.