Celebrate the great British tomato with Mrs Crunch’s delicious recipes
SQUEEZE the most out of lockdown – celebrating the great British tomato.
We’re in the middle of British Tomato Fortnight and growers need shoppers’ support more than ever.
Four out of five toms eaten in the UK are imported, which means missing out on the extra-sweet flavour of our fruits, which stay on the plant longer.
Julie Woolley, of the British Tomato Growers’ Association, says: “Given the current challenges, it’s amazing this year’s British Tomato Fortnight is looking better than ever. Arriving on supermarket shelves are some of the freshest, tastiest tomatoes ever.
“We’re grateful for everyone, from our growers, and nursery and pack-house staff, to delivery drivers and supermarket staff.” The BTGA also wants to help unite communities in these troubled times. It’s asking anyone cooking with British toms to share a portion with an older neighbour, front-line worker or someone finding lock-down difficult, and share the moment on social media with #BTF20.
Now try out the recipes below from morrisons.com – and find more at britishtomatoes.co.uk.
Market street tip
FOR the best taste, take tomatoes out of the fridge 24 hours before eating them.
Tomato types
CLASSIC: These are the familiar, round variety and are the most popular type of tomato, good for salads, grilling, baking or frying.
CHERRY AND COCKTAIL: Smaller than the classic tomato, both are very sweet and have a concentrated flavour. Golden, orange and yellow varieties are also available.
PLUM AND BABY PLUM: They have a distinctive oval shape. Their flesh is firm and they are the natural choice for pizzas and pasta dishes.
BEEF: Larger than the traditional round tomato, their size and shape make them excellent for stuffing and baking whole.
VINE OR TRUSS: These may be any of the types mentioned but are sold still attached to the stem. Vine-ripened tomatoes, meanwhile, mean the fruit is allowed to ripen on the stem and is picked when ripe.
All British tomatoes are vine-ripened as they have only a short distance to travel to market.
Cream of the crop…
PICK these juicy British tomato buys to support UK farmers.
- Morrisons The Best piccolo tomatoes, 400g, are £2.55.
- Tesco British Tomato Selection, 300g, are down from £1.25 to 93p.
- The Co-op’s British Irresistible baby plum tomatoes, 250g, are £2 or you can buy two for £3.
- Waitrose No1 Premium Jack Hawkins tomatoes are down from £4.99 to £3.99 per kilo.
- Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference four multi-coloured Harlequin salad tomatoes are £2. Sainsbury’s Best of
- British cherry tomatoes, 250g, are £1.70.
TASTY toms are versatile ingredients. Enjoy them in soups, sauces, quiches, breads and crackers, including in this week’s best buys.
- Glorious! Goan tomato and lentil soup is less than half price at Morrisons, down from £2.20 to £1.
- Co-op Irresistible limited- edition, hand-finished, slow-roast tomato sourdough, 400g, is £1.65 in selected stores.
- The price of all-time classic Heinz tomato ketchup, 250g, has been squeezed from £1.40 to £1 at Morrisons.
- Buy two for £2 on selected snacks at Tesco, including Holly’s Food Emporium tomato & herb crackers and The
- Corner Deli Co tomato & oregano pizza bakes, both £1.60 each.
- Buy two for £4 on Waitrose cherry tomato & basil sauce, £2.70, and Waitrose red-chilli pesto with tomato, £2.30.
- Morrisons crustlesss tomato, mozzarella and pesto quiche, 340g, is a slice of its usual price, down from £2.30 to £2.
Tomatoes stuffed with goats’ cheese
(Makes 12)
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 45 mins
YOU NEED:
- 12 tomatoes
- 110g goats’ cheese
- 1 handful fresh basil, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
METHOD: Pre-heat oven to 180C and bake tomatoes for 45 minutes.
In a bowl, mix together the cheese, basil, salt and pepper until well blended. When the tomatoes are cooked through, wait for them to cool down then slice the tops off.
With a small spoon, carefully scoop out the pulp to make a hollow and sturdy shell. Drain off any juice that may be in the tomato shells.
Fill the tomatoes with the mixture and carefully place the top back on.
Repeat until all the mixture is used.
Arrange on a plate or platter and serve.
Little cherry tomato tarte tatins with basil cream
(Serves eight)
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
YOU NEED:
- 25g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 450g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 375g puff pastry
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
- 4 tbsp basil
METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the butter, oil, tomato purée and vinegar in a non-stick frying pan and toss in the tomatoes. Cook for two minutes.
Divide the tomatoes over the bases of eight individual flan tins, cut-side down, and drizzle with the pan juices.
Roll out the pastry on to a lightly floured surface and stamp out eight circles, slightly larger than the tins. Place on top of the tomatoes, pressing down and tucking in the edges.
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Lift on to a baking tray and cook for 25 minutes, until the pastry is well risen and golden.
To serve, carefully turn upside down on to a board or plate and take away the flan tins.
To make the basil cream, beat together the crème fraîche, mayonnaise and basil. Chill until required.
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