Healthy and delicious, strawberries have everything going for them, says Tim Dover, chef patron of The Roost restaurant in Bridge of Earn
I love strawberries. Their aroma conjures up an excitement in my mind for the flavours of summer and long, light evenings.
Strawberries are amazing fruit, and not just on the taste front: they are a great source of vitamin C, fibre, folic and potassium.
Strawberries contain a special substance called ellagic acid which can help fight cancers and are they are also packed full of flavonoids which are known to help reduce cholesterol.
Strawberries also contain high levels of nitrates which increase blood and oxygen to the muscles so, for all you people who like to exercise, load up on strawberries before your workout if you want to have greater endurance and burn more calories, this is a theory I have recently put to the test and it is definitely true.
According to the Scottish Government horticulture statistics, we produce approximately 20,000 tonnes of strawberries each year and 74% of the land used to grow soft fruit in Scotland is in Tayside.
Local strawberries always taste better no matter where you are. Buying local is easy in Scotland during the summer months, not just from the supermarket but also from the farms directly as well as local farmers markets.
It’s an amazing fact that in Britain 75% of us will buy strawberries at some point during the year. With that in mind and Wimbledon just round the corner here’s a simple recipe for you to try and make at home.
Strawberry & Pimms jelly
For this you will need:
250g strawberries (husked and halved)
200ml Pimms
Limex1 juiced
Orangex1 juiced
400ml lemonade
3 leaves of gelatine
- Heat 200ml of the lemonade; bring to the boil and take of the heat.
- Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water till soft (around two minutes)
- Squeeze the gelatine sheets to remove the excess water and add to warm lemonade; stir until dissolved.
- Add the Pimms, orange juice, lime juice and remaining lemonade.
- Add half the strawberries to a chilled bowl and then pour the liquid jelly mix over and refrigerate till set.
- When ready to serve whip up some cream; dollop on top and top this with the remaining strawberries.
Chef’s tip
The best strawberries are always the ones you pick yourself from local berry farms, your own garden or your local farmers market. If you are going to buy from a supermarket always choose locally grown as they will be sweeter and juicer than imported strawberries bred for shipment.
When buying strawberries shop with your nose and always pick the plumpest most fragrant berries. Many people also do not know that strawberries will not ripen after they are harvested so choose strawberries that are fully bright red in colour with a natural shine and fresh looking green caps.
Medium to small berries also tend to have the best flavour as appose to large strawberries so don’t be duped into thinking large is better as this is not the case.
