‘Ibbley, obbley, onker, my first conker!’ The ancient warcry of English conker battles heralds autumn in the Kentish countryside, where Plummergen, Miss Seeton’s home village, and its great rival Murreystone, are holding their Produce Show and – this year – impromptu fisticuffs!



Plus it’s Trafalgar Day, and at Admiral Buzzard’s ‘gin pennant’ party for local ex-officers there’s another near punch-up. Altogether a riveting backdrop for the presenters of a popular TV cookery show, visiting in search of rare heritage apples like the Plummergen Peculier.



Only the police have time to notice the worsening local crime wave – antique shops ramraided, homes robbed, then a life lost – until Miss Seeton is coaxed into playing a core role.



Serene amidst every kind of skullduggery, this eccentric English spinster steps in where Scotland Yard stumbles, armed with nothing more than her sketchpad and umbrella!