Grilled honeyed figs on sourdough toast with goat’s milk labneh and lemon thyme

Autumn is the time to make the most of the all-too-short fig season. Plump, purple figs are endlessly versatile in the kitchen, their velvet soft skins disguising luscious, honeyed flesh that is at home with buttery pastry or melting frangipane as it is with roasted game or strong cheeses.

This recipe straddles the line between sweet and savoury, pairing the warm sweetness of grilled figs and honey with tangy goat’s milk labneh, a Middle Eastern cheese made by straining yoghurt through muslin until it becomes firm and creamy. The combination of the hot, honeyed figs with the cold, sour cheese is wonderful, enhanced by an aromatic scattering of lemon thyme leaves. The lemony notes of this fragrant herb echo the sharpness of the cheese and mellow the figs’ sweetness perfectly. Add some crisp sourdough toast, and you have a perfect breakfast, brunch or lunch that makes the most of the gorgeous seasonal fig.