English Strawberries

I think the strawbs that are cropping so well for me are Honoye. They are delicious, but even better are a new variety that are just producing their first fruits: Malling Centenary. These are incredibly sweet berries, worth looking out for if you grow your own.

The best strawberries I’ve tasted for ages are Cheddar strawberries- but I’ve only seen them on sale in Cheddar. They were delicious but expensive!

Best strawberries I have found are Coop, nice size, full of flavour. Do not know what variety they were.

I bought some strawberries from Asda yesterday and many of them are mushy (use by date in 3 days). I think if fruit and veg is picked when damp and then packed in plastic it's bound to happen.

Malling Centenary, preferably grown in Yorkshire, are just gorgeous. Our local supermarket only stocks piles of Murano, which are tasteless

"Cambridge Favourite" is a traditional berry often grown at home but I have also tried a strawberry called "(something) du bois" which was pretty lush... will have to Google it!

If you want a good strawberry pick your own. DH and I find they have the best flavour. I went to the hop farm in kent and picked up a punnet from there bit expensive but yum.

Strawberries and rhubarb combined make a lovely crumble, lemongrove. I made one last week, strawberries and rhubarb from the garden.
Yummy.
The DGD and I were picking and eating strawberries yesterday evening.

If buying them, I try to buy from here or the next counties.

I never buy Elsanta strawberries but buy Scottish grown Sonata, have a lovely sweet flavour and are much nicer. My dad used to grow a variety called royal sovereign, that was when I was a child and about 70 years ago. I don't think they exist now.

My memory isn't playing tricks, even my children recall eating better strawberries than the berries being offered this year, and noticed berries each year progressively getting worse-

They are red outside, white inside, bitter and spongy like cellulose-

Just purchased a pint of organic, not a bit of difference-

I'm in the US

We grow strawberries in our garden, but the week of rain we’ve had has washed any flavour out of them. Plus they’re all going mouldy as they’ve got too wet. Really disappointing this year ☹️

Thanks SueDonim and Callistomen I will definitely give it a go.?

Never ever buy Elsanta! They are always totally tasteless. I have been buying Mailing Centenary lately and they have been very nice - sweet, flavourful and juicy. But the best ones (when you can find them) are Driscoll's Jubilee. They tend to be a bit more expensive but are absolutely delicious.

I only ever buy raspberries and strawberries grown in Scotland - less travelled, lovely and fresh, great taste. PS- I live in the Scottish Highlands!.

That's strange because we love Elsanta, they're our definite favourites.

Our strawberries aren't that brilliant. However once again we are going to have multiple kilos of delicious raspberries right up until the end of October. Anyone welcome to come and pick!

I grow my own. I bought the plants very cheaply from Lidl three years ago---don't know the variety but they are deliciously sweet and really big. I've been picking loads for about 3 weeks already. We once did a commercial tasting for the local NFU branch and most of the members chose Honeyoye. Marshmello is a very well flavoured garden variety.

Yes, Malling Centenary have been very good this week (from Herefordshire).
Some of ours in the garden are delicious, others not so. I bought a few varieties ages ago but can't remember which are which now.

Today strawberries have lost their flavour and are more like a salad vegetable. The best I have tasted were in France and in Norway.
There are no strawberries that taste as beautiful as those my father grew. He grew them on the ground under nets and with straw to keep them clean. They were picked in the morning though never when wet. Dad would not let us wash strawberries. The straw kept them clean and the nets kept the birds out. Strawberries should be eaten warmed by the sun and never refrigerated. You should be able to smell them in the sun as you approach them.
How I loved the strawberry season! It was very hard work but very worthwhile. In our little corner of England dad was quite well known for his strawberries, some of which he cultivated himself by crossing with different varieties.

pixie601. I too prefer them grown in Scotland. The ones in Norway were similar. It is something to do with the growing season in the North I think, it seems to force them to produce more sweetness! I can't remember the varieties but I know that big does not equate with better in taste with strawberries.

When my dad grew older, he became more involved with his raspberries. I actually prefer raspberries. Better flavour.

Murano from Herefordshire for lunch - scrummy.

We had lovely strawberries this evening, from Fife. They were Red Diamond variety.

I love raspberries, too, but have seen very few home grown ones so far this year. Torrential rain is forecast here for tomorrow, so that won't help them.

Cambridge are a very tasty variety. I've two strawberry beds on my allotment (inherited) and haven't a clue what varieties they are - some are OK but others are delicious. Now having to propagate only those we like.

Elsanta are tasteless as are many which you get from the supermarkets.

The shop bought ones are generally horrible - hard and tasteless.

My husband has managed to grow quite a good crop in the garden this year and they're lovely. Our granddaughter gets so much pleasure from watching them ripen and picking them.