Making the most of this season's food while it lasts

There's still an abundance of summer produce but we're also getting ever closer to the autumn harvest.

Here at Brompton Farmhouse, we're just a short distance from Attingham Park, the National Trust property on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

Attingham has an incredible walled garden and it's a two-minute drive from Brompton. I frequently hop in the car and harvest fruit, vegetables and herbs. As a cook who is inspired by the best of local produce, I couldn't be luckier.

The Walled Garden has improved dramatically in recent years. A dedicated team of staff and volunteers have made great strides there and it's now reminiscent of a late 18th century kitchen garden estate.

The garden is a treat. There are nearly 160 apple trees which have branches that are heavy with fruit. There are fascinating varieties and many are quite scarce. It really is a privilege to be able to taste heritage fruit and vegetables at their very best.

The gardeners who created the plot also planted clusters of damson and walnut trees. I get a real buzz from seeing the fruit develop and knowing that harvest is just around the corner.

Attingham Park is a remarkable place. It gives a glimpse of how things might have been in yesteryear when the estate was in its prime, prior to ceasing cultivation in the 1960s.

I get on well with the gardeners. They always tell me when things are just about to come into season and they'll point out interesting specimens. Their work is very impressive and they supply the tea-room with plenty of organic fruit, vegetables and flowers throughout the year.

In 2012, the garden achieved organic status – it's really wonderful to see it come to life at this time of year.

There are plenty of occasions when I'll pop across to Attingham to harvest produce. I bring it back to the cookery school.

We recently ran a course for people who enjoy cooking vegetarian food and we'll run that again in October, when the garden is full of autumnal produce. People can come along to spend a day with us. We aim to inspire them with some different and delicious dishes.

We'll give people a demonstration first and then it will be their turn. They'll cook two or three dishes in the morning then sit down to enjoy the fruits of their labour in our stunning dining room. After that, it will be back to the kitchen to cook two dishes in the afternoon, which will be boxed up for them to take home.

It's not just the autumn harvest that we have to look forward to. The game season is just around the corner and we can anticipate an abundance of flavour. We focus on game in the cookery school, with two courses called A Taste of Game.

Our course is an introduction to cooking with game and students use produce that is in season, like pheasant. We get them to skin, pluck and joint before trying out some delicious recipes, like a confit pheasant pasty with homemade brown sauce, or a whole roasted partridge with smoked bacon and herb pearl barley.

But all of those flavours are just around the corner. For now, I'm focusing on summer dining.

The kitchen has been full of aromas like a fresh pea, crispy pancetta and goats cheese salad with herb dressing. Cooking with the seasons is so much fun.

Marcus Bean is a regular on ITV This Morning. He owns the Brompton Cookery School, at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, on a National Trust Estate.