Strawberries

Strawberries are perhaps one of the best loved of all the soft berries, their plump and sweet-tasting fruit epitomising all that's good about the British summer.

Some of the best-flavoured strawberry varieties are uncultivated, such as the tiny, indigenous wood strawberry (fraises des bois) or the white, fragrant Alpine strawberry. Modern cultivated strawberries are a combination of the large Virginian strawberry and the fragrant Chilean strawberry, which has produced a hybrid fruit that has a good balance between size and taste.

Although large, deep-red strawberries may look the most appealing, don't be put off by smaller fruit or by those that have paler tips. However, you should only select strawberries that are plump and glossy, and have their green-frilled hulls intact. It is a good idea not to remove the hulls until after you have washed the fruit; this will prevent water from entering the strawberries and making them soggy.

Strawberries are best eaten raw, either with cream and sugar, or added to fresh fruit salad or desserts. They may also be puréed with sugar and a little lemon juice to produce a coulis that can be poured over ice creams or sorbets or served with other puddings, such as lemon tart. Strawberries are also particularly good for making jam.