7-across – Orange books in lift : CARROTY

8-across – Everything flipping right in lemon fool : DULLARD

9-across – Hybrid melon, one scooped out for party : GALA

10-across – Maestro placing last bits of crab apple on the new cooker : BEETHOVEN

12-across – Extra strawberries finally cut : SPARE

13-across – Large ripe damson that man has picked : HANDSOME

15-across – Fruit in slippery gunk, initially wiped : LIME

16-across – Japanese food: a little clementine marked ‘From the East’ : RAMEN

17-across – Renaissance composer producing sound of kiwi, say? : BYRD

18-across – Cherry always cut by me for saviour : REDEEMER

20-across – Yet to consume each peach : BEAUT

21-across – Confused flavour, lychee lacking pulp in conclusion : ENTANGLED

22-across – Some of the durian rejected — like a raspberry? : RUDE

24-across – A jar containing mostly mellow fruit : APRICOT

25-across – Sweet plum filled with cream, originally : CHOCICE

1-down – Father requiring pair of pears, oddly : PAPA

2-down – Feast in fruit for large animal : GREATAPE

3-down – Sturdy bill prodding fruit, first of oils extracted : STABLE

4-down – US president with endless fruit: a good deal to eat, but no starter : BUCHANAN

5-down – Nothing is fruit : OLIVES

6-down – Country importing really amaz­ing nectarines, primarily : IRAN

11-down – Passing hard prune stone, with Pepe’s bowels opening? : EPHEMERAL

12-down – Date boxes in European river : SEINE

14-down – David’s subject picking up some fruit, a rambutan : MARAT

16-down – Staff pressing fruit for Bacchus, say? : ROMANGOD

17-down – Event finding seed in pear, we hear? : BOATRACE

19-down – Involve last of fruit in a line, stewed : ENTAIL

20-down – Spiritual teacher with friend had nuts : BUDDHA

21-down – See inexpensive fruits, cheap and nasty, ultimately : ESPY

23-down – Dodge mandarin, for example : DUCK

7-across – 20 down 23 where kennel empty? : DOGGONE

8-across – Gentle touch and scream for loyalist : PATRIOT

9-across – Burn fish : CHAR

10-across – 20 down 23 from fruit-eating political reformer, casually speaking : GORBLIMEY

12-across – 20 down 23 that’s in 14 : SUGAR

13-across – Store food in besieged town, king having fled : MEATSAFE

15-across – Drowning in espresso, a reluctant fly : SOAR

16-across – Selection in cooker : RANGE

17-across – Stay with president who’s not all there : BIDE

18-across – Tight garments on soldiers, clothing no good : LEGGINGS

20-across – Animal picked up dessert : MOOSE

21-across – Gardener resolved to plant thousand in shade : DARKGREEN

22-across – Aimlessly wander where seas are dry : MOON

24-across – Significant amounts made on raids at sea : INROADS

25-across – See 19 : BENNETT

1-down – 20 down 23, naff off and put a sock in it : GOSH

2-down – 16 across and musical pattern right for setter : AGARAGAR

3-down – Ass over-protects horse : ONAGER

4-down – A gamble, when queasy, drinking tiniest bit of lemon squash, say : BALLGAME

5-down – 20 down 23 has nan in bits, say : CRUMBS

6-down – 20 down 23 seeing papal cigar? : HOLY

11-down – Two notes since rewritten, look back : REMINISCE

12-down – See 6 : SMOKE

14-down – Deliberately obscure 20 down 23 : FUDGE

16-down – Quisling, Frenchman with­holding 20 down 23 : RENEGADE

17-down – 20 down 23 out : BLOOMING

19-down – 20 down 23 two little boys catch, punching caveman from behind : GORDON

20-down – What might make a hot 14, say : MINCED

21-down – American 20 down 23 flipping benign, a disappointment, though not entirely : DANG

23-down – See 20 : OATH

1-across – Prince Andrew’s regularly going out after sex, primarily in suit : SPADES

5-across – Depress actors by not working : CASTDOWN

9-across – Token of love: attraction can feature? : RINGPULL

10-across – Go on run and walk : RAMBLE

11-across – Change her nappies with no dread : APPREHENSION

13-across – Drop toast, essentially across floor? On the contrary : BEAD

14-across – Unusual tempo to maintain one piece of music : TONEPOEM

17-across – One sticks with Tramp cross­word, initially about to submit : CEMENTER

18-across – Rip short hem to denim outfit : TEAM

20-across – Number two fault: check by pilot : VICECHAIRMAN

23-across – Downed one can at end of month : MARTIN

24-across – One might be smiling, feeling cold inside : EMOTICON

25-across – Avoids past graduates : BYPASSES

26-across – Case in hospital not so young : HOLDER

2-down – Secretary at work is smart? : PAIN

3-down – Stroke pet on top of paw and go off : DOGPADDLE

4-down – Shape second album during split : SCULPT

5-down – Cherished ones lose footing away from Strictly Come Dancing : COLLECTORSITEMS

6-down – See 12 : SURGEONS

7-down – Tips Democrat: American to limit Mike Pence : DUMPS

8-down – Meow and start to enjoy cat milk, regularly put out: it’s placed by front door : WELCOMEMAT

12-down – Criminal mostly and ten guys: Reservoir Dogs might see them? : VETERINARY

15-down – Sort out toilet pan: promise? : POTENTIAL

16-down – What have you put on top of stuff that’s not opened? Artwork? : ETCHINGS

19-down – Way to get height to pass over low plane : SMOOTH

21-down – Another kiss? Tense during important date : EXTRA

22-down – Drink and drugs : COKE

1-across – Poet feeding rats to damsel in distress : MASEFIELD

6-across – 3 reciting poem? : RIME

8-across – Target for lion, perhaps, little creature has run off with another : ANTELOPE

9-across – Some words nippers read out? : CLAUSE

10-across – John Betjeman’s third poet recalled : TOILET

11-across – Agree to protect tease — in the family way? : TRIBALLY

12-across – Work late? Male hasn’t finished, certainly : STAYUP

15-across – Poet ready to break Swiss dish : ROSSETTI

16-across – Direction taken by writer in contribution to discussion? : PENNORTH

19-across – Bum touring new French city : NANTES

21-across – A new rake in motion, stir again : REAWAKEN

22-across – Remain with server in shop : BETRAY

24-across – Poet, Tennyson’s subject under discussion? : BROOKE

25-across – Poet in denial reviewing retrospective : VERLAINE

26-across – Issue: point overturned : EMIT

27-across – Demanding different results, serious failings initially concealed : STRESSFUL

1-down – Poet in squalor, number coming up : MUNRO

2-down – Book Scottish island up for poet : SHELLEY

3-down – Puncturing endless drivel, singular poet : FROST

4-down – Person choosing a little carrot, celery going the wrong way : ELECTOR

5-down – Eye issue limiting in poet : DICKINSON

6-down – Local interest in airline a monarch set up : REALALE

7-down – Paul’s locked in 10s unfortunately — seasonal hang-up? : MISTLETOE

13-down – Whistler carried by doddery mother out of that place : THEREFROM

14-down – Birds hearing poet who jumps from planes? : PARAKEETS

17-down – Novel closer for poet : NEWBOLT

18-down – After U-turn, minister working well in house : HANOVER

20-down – Absolutely ludicrously hot inside pastry that’s flipped over : NOTHALF

22-down – Poet takes Browning too far? : BURNS

23-down – Classic year incomplete, end of April void : ANNUL

9-across – Thin soil yielding metallic element : RAREEARTH

10-across – Late bloomer, briefly behind : ASTER

11-across – Exposed as ladies with a seedy past? : NAKED

12-across – Bizarrely, an opening for 11 digger provides job in growth area : GARDENING

13-across – Conflict over replacing article in shed : DISCORD

14-across – Believes book about fungal growth : ACCEPTS

17-across – Key work by artist that’s a bit of a nut : COPRA

19-across – One making regular entries in diary? : DAY

20-across – Earth turned rapidly, we hear : WORLD

21-across – Surreptitiously leave what today’s lady could have taken : SLIPOFF

22-across – Retiring poet : DRABBLE

24-across – Assess the situation, having deadheaded pot plant : TAKESTOCK

26-across – Serving of 28s is a likely source of fibre : SISAL

28-across – Cut selectively, purging fruit : PRUNE

29-across – Enough said about Beth working out 11 : INTHEBUFF

1-down – Women’s backsides in border unnerve and frighten bird : WREN

2-down – Flighty males finally returned tools for today : DRAKES

3-down – Young Murphy used to make others supply a dope test? Nothing in that : SEEDPOTATO

4-down – Frozen stiff after first of frosts : FRIGID

5-down – Reluctant to house youngster? Here’s one who does : CHARLADY

6-down – Heard Stand 11 is empty : BARE

7-down – One provocatively removing weeds? : STRIPPER

8-down – Carrier handy today as Romeo has to pull on clothing … : TRUG

13-down – … coarse garments, luvvie, such as 2 go after? : DUCKS

15-down – Source of manure applied sparely for fast grower : COWPARSLEY

16-down – Singular blade for cutting marsh plant : SEDGE

18-down – Identify hedges beginning to require transplant : PRICKOUT

19-down – Bloomer by lawyer taking raised hat off : DAFFODIL

22-down – Sioux pick up good inside information : DAKOTA

23-down – Frontal display aroused dissent and division : BUSTUP

24-down – Smart operator hoarding booze : TOPE

25-down – South London police going north to make arrest : STEM

27-down – Get up from the ground, oddly ignoring oldie with pink organ : LIFT