UK strawberries large size warning to supermarket shoppers
A bright and sunny March and April have been perfect for British strawberries, mostly grown in polytunnels. As a result, plants are yielding giant 50g berries. It's not just about size - the flavour is excellent too - with a great flavour and a natural sweetness.
Even better, many supermarkets have so many berries, they are discounting prices, so customers can make the most of the summer staple.
@AldiUK are stocking Giant British Strawberries..... huge pic.twitter.com/Ut9BXugqVy
Ricky Zeiderman, culinary director at BergHOFF GB, says: "The strawberries hitting shelves this month are larger and sweeter than we usually see, and that's down to a mix of warm spring sunshine and cool overnight temperatures. It's a weather pattern growers love because it pushes both size and flavour at once.
"What most people don't realise is that these plumper strawberries are actually brilliant for more than just puddings. Because they hold their shape and work beautifully when roasted with balsamic, stirred into risottos for a sweet-savoury twist, or even grilled on skewers for summer barbecues.
"When the fruit is this good, it's worth thinking beyond just cream and meringue."
Giant. Strawberries. pic.twitter.com/fGZXvJUou9
To celebrate the bumper strawberry harvest, Ricky has come up with this budget-friendly Victoria Sponge recipe.
"With the price of home baking soaring in recent years, baking a sponge has turned from an affordable treat to a costly indulgence," he says.
"When looking for a budget meal and dessert, try this delicious food with butter cream and fresh strawberries. Switching out some ingredients will make a vegan cake.
Recommended reading:
200g plain flour + 2 tsp baking powder, instead of self raising flour
150g margarine, as a butter replacement (also keeping cake fresh)
150g brown sugar, instead of caster sugar
3 tbsp vegetable oil for extra moisture
2 eggs or ½ cup yogurt as a cheaper alternative
½ tsp vanilla essence instead of pure vanilla extract
100ml milk, oat milk, coconut milk or alternative for a vegan option
100g jam, strawberry jam and raspberry, home-made or cheaper works great.
100ml whipped cream or 100g Greek yogurt for a cheaper cake recipe
Optional Topping:
Strawberries and icing sugar for dusting
(Image: ASIFE)
Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/350°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line two 8-inch cake tins with parchment paper in preparation for the completed batter.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the margarine and brown sugar until light and incredibly fluffy.
Beat in the eggs (or yogurt if using an egg replacement for vegan option) and vanilla extract or essence. Adding a splash of lemon juice can add another flavour.
Sift in the flour and baking powder gradually, folding gently. Add the vegetable oil and milk, mixing until smooth for great success and better taste.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool completely on a cooling rack or in the fridge before layering cakes.
Spread strawberry or raspberry jam over one sponge, then top with whipped cream or Greek yogurt before placing the second sponge on top, and topping with giant strawberries.
Dust with icing sugar and serve.
It's tempting to buy a load of punnets while strawberries are this good - and on offer. To maximise their shelf life, take them out of their punnets and lay out on kitchen roll in a single layer. Inspect them and get rid of any mouldy or squidgy ones (these make the rest go bad).
Pop them in the fridge and keep them as dry as possible - excess moisture and humidity is the enemy here. Moisture encourages mold growth, which is why it's important to weed out the bad berries first, then give the rest of the batch an extra layer of insurance with kitchen paper.
Your berries should stay plump and fresh for at least 3 or 4 days this way.
If you need to keep them longer, or you have a serious glut, it might be worth making jam or making compote and freezing it in batches.
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