Scottish producer, Angus Soft Fruits, has unveiled the ‘World’s Largest Strawberry Crown’ as it celebrates the arrival of the country’s finest strawberry, AVA Magnum®, onto our shelves.
Measuring 30 inches in diameter, 31 inches in height and weighing 8kg, the regal masterpiece used more than 400 AVA Magnum® strawberries and took more than 50 hours to craft.
As well as celebrating the Scottish strawberry season, it pays homage to the closing days of His Majesty’s inaugural Wimbledon, the ultimate occasion for a strawberry fit for a King.
AVA Magnum® reigns supreme in the world of strawberries with its perfect heart shape and ruby red colouration. Unrivalled in flavour, sweetness, and quality, the berry is exclusively grown by a group of growers in the north-east coast of Scotland.
The impressive structure has been created by food artist, Prudence Staite – known for her impressive collection of designs including an edible labyrinth, made out of 10kg of Belgian chocolate, to celebrate the launch of the Maze Runner films, a replica Angel of the North made out of chips, and a We Wish You a Merry Christmas playing chocolate vinyl.
The ‘World’s Largest Strawberry Crown’ was inspired by the St Edward’s Crown, which was used in this year’s Coronation. Replicating details of the crown, Prudence used AVA Magnum® berries to replicate the velvet cap and strawberry flowers for the Ermine band.
Jill Witheyman, Head of Marketing at Angus Soft Fruits, commented: “The AVA Magnum®, represents a true triumph in the world of strawberries, where flavour, sweetness, and quality converge to create an extraordinary sensory experience.
“It felt fitting for us to celebrate His Majesty’s Coronation year and inaugural Wimbledon, where the nation comes together to savour strawberries, with this incredible piece of art. The strawberries will now be skilfully transformed into strawberry jam and gifted to friends of AVA Berries®.”
Britain is a nation of strawberry fanatics with more than 87,000 tons of UK grown fruit sold every year across the country, reaching their peak during Wimbledon where organisers estimate around two million strawberries are eaten during the championships.
AVA Magnum® is part of Angus Soft Fruits’ AVA Berries® range. Exclusively grown by a select group of growers based across Perthshire, Fife and Angus, AVA Berries® harness the region’s unique microclimate and daylight hours to produce strawberries of unparalleled quality.
AVA Magnum® are bred to develop sugar slowly, which results in an exquisite sweetness. They are currently sold as premium lines in the UK’s top supermarkets including M&S Red Diamond, Aldi’s Specially Selected, Sainsburys’ Taste the Difference, ASDA’s Extra Special and in Costco as AVA Berries®.
The varieties of AVA Berries® have been carefully bred to prioritise flavour, appearance yield and sustainability. AVA Magnum® are grown in the ideal Scottish climate; these strawberries develop their sugars slowly resulting in an exquisite sweetness that captivate the taste buds.
Head berry breeder Lucy claims Scots should ditch cream and sprinkle parmesan over strawberries
A berry breeder has suggested that Scots should ditch the cream on their strawberries and instead sprinkle PARMESAN CHEESE over them.
Lucy Marie Slatter claims that the hard cheese, usually scattered generously over pizza and pasta dishes, is the perfect pairing as it is known to bring out the berry’s unique flavour characteristics.
In fact Lucy, who is head breeder at AVA Berries, says firm favourite pouring cream should be kicked to the kerb as it does nothing to enhance flavours.
Apparently, it’s not just the Italian staple that goes well with strawberries, with herbs and spices such as basil, mint, black pepper, and chilli pairing well too – along with balsamic vinegar and even crab.
And it seems it’s not just the toppings where the public are going wrong to get the best out of their strawberries.
Research commissioned by AVA Berries revealed that nine out of ten Brits are storing and preparing their strawberries wrongly. More than a third (37%) remove strawberries from the fridge and wash with cold water, which Lucy says drastically reduces the sensory experience.
The study found that only one in ten Brits remove strawberries from the fridge and leave to reach room temperature before tucking in. Lucy says that leaving strawberries to come to room temperature for at least an hour is crucial as warmer temperatures allow taste buds and nose sensors to take full advantage of the complex flavours and aromas in strawberries.
Brits should also treat whole strawberries as though they’re an expensive whisky and ‘nose’ the fruit, according to Lucy. Smelling your strawberries helps you to pick out flavours and aromas that you wouldn’t be able to detect through eating alone.
Lucy said: “It may seem a little eccentric to top strawberries with parmesan cheese and pass on the cream, but if you’re adventurous enough to give it a go, you won’t regret it.
“By choosing this cheesy topping, and allowing your strawberries to sit at room temperature before serving, you’ll have a delicious bowl of strawberries that will be the envy of everyone – including those munching on them at Wimbledon.
“Smelling them is an important part of getting the most out of strawberries.
“Strawberries have incredibly complex flavour profiles and the act of nosing allows you to get a much fuller flavour on the palate.
“Serve them too cold and washing them with cold water right before eating them is not going to get the best flavour out of them.”
AVA Berries offer the best flavour, sweetness and quality and are grown by an exclusive group of growers in the UK to produce exceptional strawberries every time.
The survey also revealed strawberries top the list of fruits most likely to be used to woo a potential partner with 44% choosing them, while 12.57 is when the nation is most likely to eat strawberries.
Of the 2,000 Brits surveyed, many said they’d tried the berries with traditional pairings including chocolate, cream and yoghurt.
A quarter (25%) admitted they paired their strawberries with ‘unusual’ ingredients including black pepper, balsamic vinegar, and even peanut butter.
It’s not just the experts who have some left-field suggestions of what to serve alongside the red berries. Adventurous foodies listed nettles, mustard, beans, haggis sausages and fish fingers as pairings they’d given a go, with one revealing they’d even rustled up a strawberry and anchovy milkshake!
To help consumers navigate all these different pairings, AVA Berries has developed a strawberry flavour wheel that shows the different flavour characteristics of this deliciously complex berry and which recipes would be worth giving a try.
AVA strawberries are currently sold as premium lines in some of the UK’s top supermarkets, find them in M&S stores and Aldi’s Specially Selected, Morrison’s The Best, Co-op’s Irresistible, and Sainsburys’ Taste The Difference ranges.
For more information and to try out the AVA Berries flavour wheel, visit:
Premium berry brand, AVA Berries has teamed up with McQueens Dairies Milk Delivery Company to deliver thousands of punnets of Scottish AVA strawberries to households across Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Fife tomorrow (Thursday 8 July) ahead of the Wimbledon finals weekend.
Strawberries and Wimbledon are a match made in heaven and the two brands have joined forces to surprise almost 2,000 McQueens Dairies customers with punnets of freshly picked Scottish AVA strawberries, which they will receive with their usual milk delivery.
On the partnership, Jill Witheyman, Head of Marketing at AVA Berries, commented:“We teamed up with McQueens Dairies last year when Wimbledon was cancelled, and their customers went crazy for our strawberries.
“So, with the tournament going ahead this year, we decided we’d work together again to surprise thousands of their customers with strawberries so they can enjoy a punnet while watching the women’s and men’s finals this weekend.”
AVA Berries offer the best flavour, sweetness and quality and are grown by an exclusive group of growers based across the north-east coast of Scotland, Perthshire and Fife, where there is the ideal micro-climate for producing the perfect strawberry due to its warm days, cool nights, and just the right amount of daylight hours.
The Scottish AVA strawberry season usually begins in May and lasts until early October, with sales peaking in June and July.
Calum McQueen, Commercial Director at McQueens Dairies added: “It is fantastic that Wimbledon is on again this year, and we wanted to surprise our customers with some delicious AVA strawberries as a treat to enjoy during the finals weekend.
“Nothing says summer more than tennis and strawberries, and we hope this partnership with AVA Berries will spread a little summer cheer.”
Scots are expected to spend over £20 million on strawberries over the next few weeks as the nation gets ready to watch the world’s tennis greats compete at this summer’s Wimbledon Championships.
The Scottish strawberry industry provides a fifth of all berries eaten in the UK and has an unsurpassed reputation for taste and quality.
AVA Berries are extraordinary varieties of strawberries that offer the best flavour, sweetness and quality and are grown by an exclusive group of growers based across the north-east coast of Scotland, Perthshire and Fife, which have the ideal micro-climate for producing the perfect strawberry, enjoying warm days, cool nights, and just the right amount of daylight hours.
AVA Berries was the first brand of strawberries to be sold as premium lines in UK supermarkets and are currently available in M&S stores and as part of Aldi’s Specially Selected, Morrison’s The Best, Co-op’s Irresistible, and Sainsburys’ Taste the Difference ranges.
With Wimbledon fever gripping the nation, why not try these three, delightful recipes and enjoy the tournament from the comfort of your own home?
Macaroon Cake with Mixed Berries
The perfect serve for guests during the Wimbledon final weekend
Fed up with sponge cakes? Why not try this moreish meringue cake flavoured with ground almonds and toffee flavoured muscovado sugar and luxuriously filled with ruby summer berries and whipped cream.
Serves 6
Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time 35-40 minutes
4 medium egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar
150g/5oz caster sugar
75g/3oz light muscovado sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
50g/2oz ground almonds
For the filling
250ml/8fl oz double cream
150g/5oz Greek yogurt
350g/12oz AVA strawberries, sliced
100g/4oz raspberries
50g/2oz blueberries
1. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large bowl with an electric whisk until stiff but still moist looking peaks. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, then muscovado sugar, a teaspoonful at a time until they have all been added, whisk for a minute of two more until the mixture is thick and glossy.
2. Fold in the vinegar and ground almonds with a large metal spoon then divide the mixture between two, lightly oiled 20cm/8in sandwich tins that have been base lined with a circle of non-stick baking paper.
3. Bake in a preheated oven set to 150°C/gas mark 2 for 35-40 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. Loosen the edges of the cakes carefully with a knife then leave to cool in the tins.
4. Loosen the edges of the cakes once more then turn out on to a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Peel off the paper from the bases.
5. Whip the cream until if forms soft swirls, then fold in the yogurt. Transfer one macaroon cake to a serving plate, spread with two thirds of the cream mixture. Arrange two thirds of the fruit on top then add the second macaroon cake. Decorate the top with the remaining cream and berries and serve within 30 minutes of assembly.
Cook’s tip
The macaroon cake can be made the day before and then turned out on to a tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Cover with a second sheet of paper and store in a cool dry place. The cakes are very fragile so handle with care, you may find it easier to transfer them to a serving plate by sliding the base of a loose bottomed cake tin underneath them rather than using a palette knife or fish slice. Decorate with cream and summer fruit at the very last minute.
AVA Strawberry trifle with Pimms
Who can resist trifle? This lighter more modern version is made with Pimms soaked strawberries and topped with reduced fat custard and a lighter, reduced fat creamy yogurt layer flecked with citrusy lemon and orange rind. If you have time leave the strawberries and Pimms to soak for 30 minutes or more so that the flavours seep into the sponge base before topping with the custard and cream.
Serves 6
Preparation time 25 minutes
Chilling time 2 hours
4 trifle sponges, about 100g/4oz in total
350g/12oz AVA strawberries, sliced
4 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp Pimms, undiluted
425g/15oz can reduced fat custard
200ml/7fl oz double cream
150g/5oz low fat natural yogurt
Grated rind half orange
Grated rind half lemon
To decorate
3 AVA strawberries, halved lemon and orange rind.
1. Break the trifle sponges into pieces and arrange in a single layer in the base of a 1.2 litre/2 pint glass dish. Arrange the strawberries on top, sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar then spoon over the Pimms.
2. Spoon the custard over the top of the fruit and spread the top into an even layer.
3. Whip the cream in a bowl until it just forms soft swirls then fold in the yogurt and fruit rinds. Spoon over the custard and chill until required. Decorate with halved strawberries and lemon and orange rind curls made with a zester just before serving.
AVA Strawberry and Raspberry Ripple Eton Mess
Make up the AVA strawberry swirled meringues and fruit puree the day before, then just layer with whipped cream and extra fruit in recycled jam jars and screw on the lids, take out to the garden in a basket or pack into a cool box for a picnic pud.
1. Preheat the oven to 110°C (225°F), Gas Mark ¼. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
2. Puree the strawberries and raspberries in a liquidiser or food processor then press through a sieve.
3. Whisk the egg whites in a large clean dry bowl until they form stiff moist looking peaks and you feel confident that if the bowl was turned upside down the egg whites wouldn’t fall out! Gradually whisk in the sugar a teaspoonful at a time then continue whisking for a minute or two until really thick and glossy.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of the berry puree then very briefly mix until marbled. Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with a 1.5cm (¾ inch) plain piping tube, pipe small rounds on to the lined baking sheet. Bake for 1¼ -1½ hours or until the meringues may be easily lifted off the paper. Leave to cool.
5. To serve, lightly whip the cream until it forms soft swirls then fold in the fromage frais. Crumble the meringues then layer in jam jars or plastic containers with the remaining berry puree and diced strawberries. Decorate with the raspberries. Add the lids and keep in the fridge until ready to serve or transport to a picnic in a cool bag with a frozen ice block to keep them cold. Serve within 1½ hours or the meringues tend to lose their crunch.
Edinburgh-based personal trainer Michael Ulloa has teamed up with AVA Berries to provide some race-preparation tips ahead of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival weekend at the end of this month.
