The Simple Pleasure of Strawberries and Cream

Sometimes, the finest things in life are the simplest. And few combinations capture the essence of British summertime quite like a bowl of fresh strawberries and cream.

Whether you’re sitting in a deckchair watching the tennis at Wimbledon, enjoying a picnic in the park, or rounding off a garden barbecue, strawberries and cream is a timeless treat that brings a smile to everyone’s face. 

It’s more than just a dessert, it’s a taste of sunshine, nostalgia, and effortless indulgence.

A Match Made in Heaven

There’s a reason strawberries and cream have stood the test of time. The natural sweetness and slight tang of ripe strawberries is perfectly balanced by the rich, silky smoothness of cream. It’s a textural delight too, soft, juicy fruit contrasting with that cool, velvety drizzle.

This classic pairing dates back to Tudor times, with legend attributing its popularity to Thomas Wolsey, a close associate of Henry VIII. Yet despite its long history, it has never gone out of fashion, and for good reason.

Local and Seasonal

Strawberries are at their best when they’re in season, typically from late May through July in the UK. Buying British berries means you’re supporting local growers and getting the freshest, most flavourful fruit available. 

Look for plump, deep red berries with a fragrant aroma. And whatever you do, don’t store them in the fridge for too long, strawberries are best eaten fresh and slightly warm from the sun.

Wash them and remove the tops before serving them.

You can keep things traditional with a splash of single cream or go richer with double cream. Some prefer theirs whipped, others lightly poured. A dusting of sugar or a hint of vanilla is optional, but really, the stars of the show speak for themselves.

Dress It Up (Or Don’t)

While strawberries and cream are glorious in their simplest form, there’s room for play if you fancy getting creative. Add a twist with a crack of black pepper or a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Layer it up with crushed meringue for an impromptu Eton Mess. Or pop it on top of a scone for a glorious nod to afternoon tea.

But more often than not, the plain and pure version is the one that hits the spot.

A Bowlful of Joy

In a world that’s constantly rushing, the ritual of sitting down with strawberries and cream is a small, delicious act of slowing down. It’s a dish that doesn’t demand fuss or finesse. It simply invites you to enjoy.

So next time the sun peeks through the clouds, head to your local greengrocer, grab a punnet of strawberries, and pour over the cream. Because sometimes, happiness really is that easy.

Strawberry and raspberry ripple Eton Mess

There's nothing like a nice Eton Mess. This recipe has a different twist on it, as it uses strawberries and raspberries in the recipe.  

This is how you make it:-

Make up the strawberry swirled meringues and fruit puree the day before, then just layer with whipped cream and extra fruit in recycled jam jars and screw on the lids, take out to the garden in a basket or pack into a cool box for a picnic pud.

Serves 6

Preparation time: 35 minutes

Cooking time: 1¼ -1½ hours

225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled

100g (4oz) raspberries

Meringues

2 egg whites

100g (4oz) caster sugar

To finish

300ml (1/2 pint) double cream

200g (7oz) 0.1% fat fromage frais

225g (8oz) strawberries, hulled, roughly chopped

50g (2oz) raspberries

1      Preheat the oven to 110oC (225oF), Gas Mark ¼. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.

2      Puree the strawberries and raspberries in a liquidiser or food processor then press through a sieve.

3      Whisk the egg whites in a large clean dry bowl until they form stiff moist looking peaks and you feel confident that if the bowl was turned upside down the egg whites wouldn’t fall out! Gradually whisk in the sugar a teaspoonful at a time then continue whisking for a minute or two until really thick and glossy.

4      Add 2 tablespoons of the berry puree then very briefly mix until marbled. Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm (¾ inch) plain piping tube, pipe small rounds on to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 11/4-11/2 hours or until the meringues may be easily lifted off the paper. Leave to cool.

5      To serve, lightly whip the cream until it forms soft swirls then fold in the fromage frais. Crumble the meringues then layer in jam jars or plastic containers with the remaining berry puree and diced strawberries. Decorate with the raspberries.  Add the lids and keep in the fridge until ready to serve or transport to a picnic in a cool bag with a frozen ice block to keep them cold. Serve within 1½ hours or the meringues tend to lose their crunch.

This recipe is courtesy of Love Fresh Berries and you can find more delicious berry recipes here https://www.lovefreshberries.co.uk

Make sure your strawberries are Good Natured!

Did you know about 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten during the Wimbledon Tennis Championships every year?

The Wimbledon Tennis Grand Slam Tournament has become almost as well known for the strawberries as for the tennis.

Here at Good Natured they have been very busy preparing their pesticide residue free Succulent Strawberries (grown as Mother Nature intended) using an environmentally friendly production system to keep the produce healthy and free of bugs, like greenfly and aphids, which spoil the fruit . Their Succulent Strawberries taste delicious whether you’re at Wimbledon on centre court or in your home.

Strawberries feature in some of Britain’s favourite summer dishes from Eton Mess, Trifle, and Pimm’s to, of course, strawberries and cream. Tempted, yet? Their strawberries are available nationwide in selected ASDA and Morrisons stores, and you'll also find them in Tescos in Scotland, in their funky and fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable punnets.

If you’re after hints and tips on how to recycle, build a compost heap, and even start your own worm farm, find out more at http://eco.goodnaturedfruit.co.uk

For more good news about Good Natured Fruit please visit: www.goodnaturedfruit.co.uk
For information about recycling and their packaging visit http://eco.goodnaturedfruit.co.uk
Follow them @Good_Natured on Twitter and Good-Natured on Facebook.

Tesco Real Food says we have the biggest and best English strawberry crop in twenty years

Tesco Real Food has announced Britain's spring heat wave (EDITOR: I can remember that! Just!) has led to the biggest and best quality English strawberry crop for two decades.

The glut of English strawberries – considered by experts to be the best in the world – will result in an estimated 50 per cent reduction in UK retailers bringing in imports.

Experts point out Britain's warmer than usual March and April heat wave produced perfect growing conditions resulting in the crop being at least two weeks earlier than usual and the extra sunshine has also increased sugar levels making the current crop much sweeter and juicier than normal.

Tesco strawberry buyer Paul Jones said: "The unexpected great weather means an abundance of top quality, sweeter than normal English strawberries - of the standard normally associated with Wimbledon fortnight.

"As the quality is so high we've taken far more of the English crop than we usually do at this time of year.

"From the start of May we will be predominantly selling just English strawberries and the need not to import Spanish imports allows us to keep the price down.

"This is fantastic news for the English strawberry industry and should see them getting an unexpected windfall from increased orders from UK retailers."

One of England's largest strawberry growers, R and V Emery, based near Southampton, Hampshire, said it was the earliest start to the English strawberry season for about 20 years.

Vernon Emery, who runs the business with his brother Richard, said: "Our production yield is up by 150 per cent on recent years and if the good weather continues and we get some rain too we could be heading for a record year.

"The extra warmth helped boost sugar levels but equally important have been good levels of light which have helped the fruit set and encouraged bees to pollinate the plants.

"The great weather has also been consistent without dips in temperature which would have hampered the quality."

Since the start of the English strawberry season Tesco has sold 50 per cent more home grown strawberries than it did over the same period last year.

(EDITOR: It's market day, today! I'll be off to the fruit stalls to check on the strawberries!)