The queen of small red fruits
The strawberry as we know it today was born from a chance crossing in the 18th century, when French botanist Amédée-François Frézier brought wild specimens from Chile to Europe in 1714. Planted alongside Virginia varieties already growing in the gardens of Brest, nature did the rest: Fragaria × ananassa, the first modern strawberry, was born.
A single seed brought from Chile in 1714 changed forever the way Europe knows the red fruit.
For centuries before, Europeans had only known the wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca), small and intensely fragrant, growing naturally in the forests. Today, strawberries from south-west France and Andalusia are among the most prized in the world, thanks to the combination of climate, soil and the expertise of local growers.
Technically, a strawberry is not a berry. What we eat is the fleshy receptacle of the flower, and the small yellow dots on the surface are the actual botanical fruits — the achenes.
The average strawberry has around 200 achenes on its surface. Each one is a separate, independent fruit.
Strawberries contain more vitamin C per 100 g than oranges, and are rich in antioxidants and folic acid.
01
Ingredients
Rub together flour, butter, icing sugar and egg; chill 30 min then blind-bake at 180 °C for 20 min. Make pastry cream: heat milk with vanilla, stir in yolks mixed with sugar and cornflour, cook until thick. Cool, fill the tart case, arrange the strawberries and brush with warm apple jelly glaze.
02
Ingredients
Hull and wash the strawberries. Blend all ingredients at high speed until completely smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness with honey. Serve immediately over ice cubes, garnished with a sprig of fresh mint.
03
Ingredients
Hull, wash and quarter the strawberries. Mix with sugar and lemon juice; leave to macerate 1 hour. Cook over medium heat for 40 min, stirring frequently. When the jam coats the back of a spoon, pot into sterilised jars, seal and turn upside down until cool.
Get in touch and we'll tell you about availability and terms for our fresh strawberries.
Contact us