How do you like your strawberries?

[Patrick]

With sugar? With cream? With both? - and what type of sugar? Golden Granulated? Does it have to be white? How about some Ice cream with that? Or maybe some Jelly! Or a thick creamy, crunchy pavlova? Or perhaps on a sponge base that's been soaked in something alcoholic and with cream piled on top!?

The best strawberries I remember having were in France - but perhaps it was because it was a holiday and everything tastes nice on holiday.

[rjpageuk]

The strawberries here are a lot better than the ones in Canada.

I eat them with a little bit of sugar or blend them up into strawberry milkshakes with ice cream and sugar.

[aubrey]

No sugar. Cream, maybe with ice cream as well.

[riotgrrl]

I like my strawberries chopped up and roughly blended into cocktails.

I don't particularly like raw strawberries; they can taste a bit slimey.

It's £2.50 for strawberries at Wimbledon this year you know.

[Weyland]

Jun 21, 2010 22:37:06 GMT Patrick said:

With sugar? With cream? With both? - and what type of sugar? Golden Granulated? Does it have to be white? How about some Ice cream with that? Or maybe some Jelly! Or a thick creamy, crunchy pavlova? Or perhaps on a sponge base that's been soaked in something alcoholic and with cream piled on top!?

The best strawberries I remember having were in France - but perhaps it was because it was a holiday and everything tastes nice on holiday.

Never cream. Evaporated milk. Sugar only in extremis. Any kind.

Or vanilla ice-cream.

Best I ever had were in Kent. 1970s, fogbound traffic jam on the way to Dover. Saw a pick-your-own farm just off the A2. Delicious. Yes -- on holiday.

[everso]

I bought some strawberries in Chelmsford's weekend farmers' market last Saturday- two very large punnets for £3. They were just about the best I've tasted for ages. Very sweet so you didn't need sugar and fairly small.

I bought some extra thick Jersey cream to go with them. And I served them with vanilla ice cream, a chocolate brownie and some warm chocolate sauce. That kept Mr.E. quiet.

Usually though, I'd just sprinkle a bit of caster sugar on them and pour over some single cream.

[Weyland]

Mrs Y I squashes strawberries onto brown bread. Runs in her family, apparently.

[everso]

I was listening to Woman's Hour earlier and they were talking about making jam. I made some strawberry jam last year and it really is the best jam when you make it yourself. It has a different taste, I think. Commercially made jam usually has citric acid added to it which gives it an undertaste.

Trouble is, it's such a palaver making it.

[Patrick]

Yes, I was wondering how our "Jammies" were doing this year. Or should that be "Jammers"?

[Weyland]

Jun 22, 2010 14:03:26 GMT Patrick said:

Yes, I was wondering how our "Jammies" were doing this year. Or should that be "Jammers"?

I have several jars of vintage damson jam here, made by Jilona, God bless her.

Absolutely delicious as long as you don't expect it to be sweet. I'd never even seen a damson until I encountered the tree about five metres from where I'm sitting. It doesn't fruit every year, but when it does I'm ankle-deep in the bloody things.

[motorist]

Finnish strawberries are much more flavoursome than English ones. Best time to get them is late June

[Weyland]

Jun 22, 2010 15:02:37 GMT motorist said:

Finnish strawberries are much more flavoursome than English ones. Best time to get them is late June

Last time I was in Sweden I noticed that the supermarkets carry all sorts of berries you never see in Britain, and even the known ones, such as raspberries, taste better. Maybe something to do with the climate. Or maybe it's just down to the el cheapo strategy of British supermarkets (who would be surprised?).

[Patrick]

I love Damson. It is difficult to describe the taste as it isn't sweet, sweet. Great in big cold dollops on hot toast. We, well, our neighbours had a tree in their back garden that leaned over ours. It's not a tree you'd want to park your car under either!

[everso]

Damson jam was my dad's favourite.

Yes, damsons usually cause involuntary closing of the left eye.

Jam should never be made with sweet fruit because it makes it too sickly. Damsons are perfect.

[housesparrow]

I'm trying to cut down on cream, so strawberries are eaten neat; okay if they are fresh and swet but I don't add fruit to sugar; if a strawberry is tart it isn't worth eating at all.

But if cream is used, it must be thick.

[jean]

Jun 22, 2010 11:01:11 GMT everso said:

Trouble is, it's such a palaver making it.

Isn't it though! Just spent yesterday evening at it. And there were so many strawberries when we got back I am going to have to do the same today.

Wish I could give you all some.

[jean]

Jun 22, 2010 15:45:49 GMT Weyland said:

...the el cheapo strategy of British supermarkets...

They discovered (or developed) the variety Elsanta, which is tasteless and hard and keeps for weeks, and that's the only thing you could get for years.

Now M & S are making a great fuss of introducing new varieties that taste of something, but they cost a fortune, of course.

[aubrey]

We sometimes keep a bowl of strawberrys in the fridge for me (or anyone else) to have one when I'm thirsty. They work quite well - refreshing without that tartness that dries your mouth afterwards (which I often get from grapes - the skin, I assume). Pineapple's good for that, as well.

[Patrick]

There was a letter in our local paper t'other week suggesting that tempting Waitrose to our town might help shake off it's poundshop image. Whilst I'd love one, we do actually have a Waitrose equivalent in the shape of "Booths" a local supermarket chain who have recently been building newer brighter (and potentially more sellable) stores, but have always had a slightly upmarket - and certainly a tad more expensive 'image'. A good example of this is their strawberries - currently being sold at £2.49 a punnet, when a similar sized (but fuller) one can be picked up for 99p in the local greengrocer.