A question of taste

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Posted at 12:15PM, 02 June 2009 by Carol Wilson - Food writer

Now that we can buy strawberries all year round, it's difficult to remember a time when the luscious scarlet berries appeared only for a brief season in early summer.

Summer and strawberries go hand in hand and although every supermarket is now piled high with strawberries, in truth we don't have much choice when it comes to variety. The ubiquitous Elsanta are everywhere - the favourite choice of large-scale growers because they're hardy and easy to grow - and supermarkets love them because they have a long shelf life. You may find a few other varieties such as Florence, but generally the selection is pretty poor. And small is definitely best when it comes to strawberries - those bloated monsters, so beloved of supermarkets, invariably have a hard, woody texture, watery flesh and are practically tasteless.

Without a doubt, they were the best berries I've ever tasted; small, deep red, juicy and meltingly tender with an exquisite scent

At my local farmer's market I came across the most fantastic strawberries. Grown in Lancashire in rich organic soil and ripened naturally in the sun, they'd been picked early that morning ready for the market. Without a doubt, they were the best berries I've ever tasted; small, deep red, juicy and meltingly tender with an exquisite scent, we ate them with thick rich clotted cream and homemade scones.

Strawberries as good as this have to be eaten the same day - they might just last another day in the fridge but they're delicate and very perishable, as strawberries should be - that's why supermarkets disdain them in favour of hardier varieties.

Back in 18th century England when the strawberry season lasted for only a few short weeks and was eagerly anticipated, lots of varieties were available, such as musky flavoured Hautboy, and Keen's seedling, which has sadly now vanished. Fortunately some old-fashioned varieties can still be found if you're prepared to seek them out from specialist growers and farmers' markets - Royal Sovereign and woodland Mara des Bois are wonderfully fragrant and taste as strawberries used to.

This year I'm growing Alpine strawberries (also known as Fraises des Bois) in tubs. The tiny jewel-like berries have an intense, sweet flavour, a blend of strawberry, pineapple and rose. In France, these outstanding strawberries are sold as a luxury seasonal speciality to top Paris restaurants, where they're served with crème fraîche.

Strawberries are delicious on their own of course, but to bring out their delicate flavour, I sometimes sprinkle them with a few drops of rosewater or balsamic vinegar or a light grinding of black pepper.

Comments

jenny

2 June, 1:08PM
jenny

i'm lucky enough to have go a job at my local PYO after years of being a paying customer. its a dream come true and there is no comparison to the fruit at work fresh from the fields and even that of local produce picked a day earlier! let alone imported out of season rubbish! PYO all the way for me, always has been.

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Chris Pakett

2 June, 1:31PM
Chris Pakett

Just bought some wild strawberries from Waitrose, well worth the extra. Tasted as I remember from the past, small and delicious,even though they were grown in Holland. Most of the stock though was Elsanta as Carol said.

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CloClo

2 June, 5:54PM
CloClo

If you're going to fry them quicky with some balsamic vinegar, I find its best to use cheap ones, or ones that are a day or two old. Leave the best ones for eating with good vanilla ice cream (Aldis IS THE BEST, northampton's Gallones is also very good.

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SandieB

2 June, 5:57PM
SandieB

I'm a bit of a strawberry snob, in that I will only buy English strawberries in season, and even if they are Elsanta, they still have more flavour than imported ones whatever the time of year.

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robert

3 June, 11:55AM
robert

I've seen those wild strawberries from Holland too. For some reason they're labelled as 'strasberries' because they are the size of raspberries but taste like strawberries. Why can't they just call them wild strawberries? They are expensive though

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smitty

6 June, 10:06AM
smitty

I bought some delicious strawberries yesterday. They're called Sonata and are from Scotland

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apprentice chef

6 June, 6:39PM
apprentice chef

Used to get them from the market and thery were among the best. Short shelf live but still worth it. A lot better than those from supermarkets.

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Nicola

9 June, 2:12PM
Nicola

Yuck - I cant stand Elsanta...they taste of nothing and I just don't understand why all my friends get so excited when they come on sale in the supermarket. They think I'm a food snob, but I'd much rather be a snob and get to taste real strawberries rather than the watery yucky Elsanta garbage in the supermarket! One day I will convince them all...!

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fernie

15 June, 7:20PM
fernie

Living in Strawberry Central in Scotland I have to flag up Ava as the best strawberries around. I think Sainsburys sell them as their Taste the Difference ( certainly did last year). They are sweet and pretty with a creamy white part to the leaf. Well worth trying. Elsanta may have a long shelf life but they dont taste as good

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AnnaG

18 June, 7:42PM
AnnaG

I NEVER buy strawberries out of season - what's the point? I grow my own and buy local fresh picked strawberries, they are without a doubt my favourite fruit. I eat them the way God (if he/she exsists) intended - warm from the sun and unadulterated in anyway. I still maintain that as a practising Agnostic if there is a God then the strawberry is the proof! What could be more perfect?

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jane

24 June, 7:52AM
jane

I used to look forward to the P Y O season and have a fruit binge for a few weeks, plus lots of jam making. Unfortunately most PYO farms in my area (Essex) have given up as they can't compete with the supermarkets!! How I miss them. Strawberries with flavour are missed most. Also, the ubiquitous poly tunnel, I'm sure, is responsible for a great many tasteless strawberries. What a shame we can't be content with seasonal fruit and veg - it was lovely to have the summer delights to look forward to instead of 2nd rate stuff being available all year around. There will be new generations that do not know what food is supposed to taste like.

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MindyaCalling

31 July, 2:54PM
MindyaCalling

Most households have a row or twa of Strawberries. AS we have just movved here, we did not, but a neighbour cam with a plastic box full and they were smashing. So I deceided to make some jam. Then two weeks later they were gone, none in the gardens, none at the markets. Seasonal you see, just how markets used to be as a child. You cant get Strawberries all year round in Bulgaria!!! So enjoy while you can.

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londonhal

20 August, 3:51PM
londonhal

I agree with Jane, in fact I think there already is a generation that thinks that apricots are dry and sour like the ones we get all year round...

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