Tomatoes

Tomatoes have a sweet, acidic flavour and a juicy flesh, providing a wonderful addition to a whole variety of both raw and cooked dishes. They have a great affinity with basil leaves and fresh mozzarella, which when combined, created a beautifully flavoured summer salad. They may also be cooked and added to various pasta and meat dishes.

Baby Plum Tomatoes

A sweet, oval shaped variety of tomato. They are the smallest types available, making them perfect for salads, snacking or lunchboxes.

Beef Tomatoes

These large pumpkin-shaped tomatoes are deep red or orange in colour with a firm texture and a sweet, mellow flavour. Their large size and fleshy interior makes them ideal for slicing into sandwiches as there as is less liquid to turn the bread soggy. They are best sliced across rather than downwards.

Beefsteak tomatoes may also be baked whole; simply slice of the lid and scoop out the centre with a teaspoon. Fill with a stuffing of your choice and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are small, bite-sized fruit that are perfect for using whole in salads or for cooking. Although they tend to be more expensive than salad tomatoes, they have far more flavour. They are particularly good when roasted whole drizzled in olive oil, then served with a sprinkling of fresh basil leaves and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

Green Tomatoes

There are two types of green tomato:

• Unripened fruit that have a tangy, slightly acidic flavour.
• Ripened green tomatoes, developed to produce fruit with a bright green flesh and a subtle tang.

Both varieties are good for using in salads, relishes and chutneys.

Orange Tomatoes

A mild-flavoured fruit with a sweet, delicate flavour and a low acidity. Their attractive colour adds interest to salads and they are also good in sauces and soups.

Plum Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes can be easily recognised by their deep red skin and their distinctive oval shape. Their rich, concentrated flavour, low moisture content and relatively few seeds makes them ideal for cooking, and especially for making ratatouille, pasta sauces and tomato purées. They are the most popular variety for canning.

Raff Tomatoes

A traditional winter variety of tomato from southern Spain. These large fruit are left to mature on the vine to develop maximum taste and sweetness, and are at their best when they are still tinged with green. Their large size makes them perfect for stuffing and slicing.

Salad Tomatoes

Salad tomatoes are the most common variety available in the shops and supermarkets, and may be used for a wide range of recipes. They have a full, slightly acidic flavour, excellent for cooking or eating raw. A pinch of sugar during cooking helps to bring out the flavour of this variety of tomato.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

These tomatoes are dried and either sold in packets or in jars preserved in olive oil. They have a wonderfully rich, intense, sweet flavour and a deliciously chewy texture. Oil preserved tomatoes may be added as they are to soups, stews, pasta sauces, pizzas, sandwiches and salads, whereas the packet variety needs to be reconstituted in hot water or olive oil until soft before using. The drained water may be used as a stock, whilst the oil can be used for cooking or to make a salad dressing.

Yellow Tomatoes

Yellow tomatoes have a mild, sweet, slightly lemony flavour, along with a low acidity compared with red tomatoes. Their attractive colour makes them perfect for mixing into salads, but they are also suitable for cooking and making pickles and chutneys.