There’s no better berry at the “Friend” than this one as we count down the days until our Strawberry Tea in July.
We have been holding “The People’s Friend” Strawberry Tea for over a decade. This July we are back to tempt the DC Thomson employees with more strawberry delights. While our bake sale is not limited to strawberries, it got us thinking of what we know about the red berry.
The sweet fruit grows all year round these days but typically comes into season from May to September in the UK. This year they hit the shelves early due to the warm weather we have been bathing in.
A colourful history
The Strawberry was introduced to the UK by the Romans in 200BC and were the first packaged foods. They used to be served in cone-shaped packaging by farmers. They were also served to newlyweds as an aphrodisiac as part of their wedding breakfast, mixed with sour cream and starflower.
Strawberries are well renowned for their Vitamin C properties but did you know they are great antioxidants? As we know from our previous posts, antioxidants are vital to keeping our bodies healthy.
How we eat strawberries
The most famous event in the calendar after the “Friend” Strawberry Tea is Wimbledon, where 28 tonnes of strawberries will be eaten. An estimated 140,000 portions of strawberries and cream were eaten at last years event. Alongside the Strawberries, a whopping 330, 000 cups of tea and coffee, which we will be offering at our event too.
While strawberries are best with a splash of cream, and perhaps a soaking in balsamic vinegar, they are a versatile cooking ingredient. In our cooking archives, I found some recipes for Chillied Strawberry Jam, a delicious looking Strawberry and Vanilla Cheesecake, and Strawberry, Mint and Pineapple Iced Yogurts.
If you don’t make one of the recipes, perhaps all that talk of sweet strawberries has given you food for thought, and Shirley’s Writing Tools on the senses will be more you.
However you take your Strawberries this year, we hope you enjoy them!
Karlie Simmonds Karlie has worked in Digital Media for over 10 years, she is passionate about health and wellbeing and lives in Edinburgh with her partner, children, and Pug, Poppy.
