Kitchen Garden Forum

I received an e-mail from one of the foodie sites I follow, who were promoting British Tomato Week? Is it? Why May when no tomatoes ready? What joker thought that was fun!

Just to say site was Great British Chefs, so can't even blame an overseas site and different weather!

Westi

British tomato growers are doing a big promotion to get us to buy British, as the tomatoes grown under cover are coming into the shops now. They point out that British tomatoes reach the shops in a much shorter time and don't have the flavour spoiled by being refrigerated while being transported. They are going to have a Union Jack on the packaging so we know which they are. I bought some last week and they tasted much better than we usually get at this time of the year, although they can't compete with ones straight from your own greenhouse.

I suppose it's worth a shot to have a promotion, and that UK grown could be allowed to grow a bit more on the plant due to less travel miles, but still never going to replicate the sun warmed, grown in the soil tomato we grow!

Everyone I know that goes for holidays around the Med always come back & comment on the 'taste' of the tomatoes. I saw a show on TV about this myth as well, yes some are grown on small farms or in small villages in gardens to supply the restaurants, but the majority of their's come from gigantic hydroponic poly tunnels as well, but the traverna's ripen them off even more before using them, maybe that is the secret?

Westi