GEORGINA MASON of Gonalston Farm Shop on the English strawberry... SWEET SUMMER T
he arrival of summer means the enjoying the longest days of the year and the
countdown to the summer holidays. Not so for me, unfortunately. June has meant Christmas orders – the planning seems to come sooner each year. I was, however, reassured
when a regular customer phoned in June and asked had we any Christmas puddings in stock. She was visiting relatives abroad who would appreciate one, even in summer! Having worked for a decade in the retail fashion industry, where you were always one year ahead with the purchase of stock for the next season, fresh food is a refreshing change. Each season can and does offer great new foods to savour and enjoy. I am always sad to see the end of the English asparagus season, so I try to consume and enjoy plenty while it is available. I often wonder with these foods that have such a short season: do we enjoy them more because they are only available for a short time? English strawberries are now at their best; their season has been lengthened over the years with the assistance of poly-tunnels and early fruiting varieties. Here at Gonalston Farm Shop we are incredibly lucky to have great fresh fruit on our doorstep. Sir John Starkey and his family
have been growing 50 acres of strawberries at Norwood Park, Southwell, for 50 years, with a season starting in May and lasting until October. Blackberries come along in late
August and of course, we have great British apples, including the Bramley, following on. When I was a child we would go to a local pick-your-own farm at Wymeswold in Leicestershire in June or July and pick pounds of strawberries and raspberries. For three days my mother would let us eat strawberries with sugar and fresh cream off the farm. The rest would be frozen whole or made into jam for the winter. In those days the sun was needed to ripen the fruit much more than the new sweet varieties around today. Many English summer
Sir John Starkey at Norwood Park with examples of produce from his 50 acres of strawberry beds.
Panacotta with Fresh Strawberries
This recipe, using seasonal English strawberries, is one of my favourite summer desserts. The quantities here will create six individual helpings.
I n g re d i e n t s
275ml double cream; 275ml milk; 80g golden caster sugar; 2-3 drops vanilla extract; 2 tsp grated lemon rind; 2 heaped teaspoons gelatine granules. To serve: The Best of Taste Strawberry Fruit Coulis, fresh strawberries, mint leaves
Method
1. Place the cream, milk and sugar into a pan, and heat until almost boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
2. Place 4 tbs water into a small bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine granules and microwave for 15-20 seconds. Stir to dissolve. 3. Add the dissolved gelatine to the cream mixture and stir well.
4. Pour the cream mixture into 6 ramekins, cool slightly and then leave in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
5. Once set, pour a little of the strawberry fruit coulis on to each pannacotta and decorate with fresh strawberries and a sprig of mint.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE TODAY 89
celebrations are based on this good old simple dessert, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships would not be right without them. In 2009 the visitors to the championships consumed over 28,000kg of fresh English strawberries, all from Kent farms, with more than 7,000 litres of fresh cream. The fruit is picked the day before being served. It arrives at Wimbledon at 5.30am every day and every fruit is individually inspected before being hulled. With that kind of pedigree it makes the 2009 price of £2.25 for a minimum of 10 strawberries with cream seem like a right bargain. Just to make you feel better, this was washed down with more than 17,000 bottles of champagne!
Did you k n ow ?
Ten strawberries only contain approximately 27 calories. Not only are they low in calories they are also extremely good for you, containing lots of Vitamin C, fibre, folic acid and anti-oxidants. Strawberries are actually a member of the rose family. The average strawberry has 200 seeds. Strawberry is the second most popular flavour after chocolate. Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring
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