Wimbledon with Strawberries and Cream
Traditional Treat to Accompany British Tennis Championships
Jul 3, 2009
The strawberry has been growing wild in Great Britain for centuries and it was in the early part of the 17th Century that it began to be properly cultivated. Mrs Beeton in her Victorian Book of Household Management suggests it got its name from the fact that people used to put straw under the growing berries to keep them moist and clean.
The link between the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and strawberries probably came about because June is not far off the beginning of the English strawberry season. Some early and canny Wimbledon caterer grasped the opportunity to make a quick profit by serving a handful of them with a dollop of cream to the tennis eager spectators. It has now become a traditional part of this quintessentially English end of June event.
Basic Strawberries and Cream
The traditional strawberries and cream recipe is quite simple. Wash some strawberries well, put them in a bowl, sprinkle a little bit of sugar over them then leave them to soak up the sweetness for half an hour or more. Smother over with any cream of your choice, be it clotted Cornish or standard single then eat. They won’t last long and there’s no danger of leftovers.
Simple Strawberry Recipes With Which to Watch Wimbledon
But what other culinary delights can be whipped up from this simple red fruit? The list is probably endless. Everyone knows and loves the ever popular strawberry shortcakes and cheesecakes. But there are some less well known concoctions which are simple to make and just as delicious. Four quick and tasty suggestions to make and consume whilst watching the action are offered here:
No. 1 Strawberries and Champagne.
This, surely, is a close contender to the nectar that the ancient gods drank in heaven. Take a glass (one of the fluted type) of well chilled champagne and drop one well washed strawberry in it. Let it stand for the length of a couple of good rallies and then slowly sip. The combined flavour is just awesome.
No. 2 Strawberry and Banana Smoothie
In between two sets, grab a couple of well ripe bananas, an equal quantity in weight of strawberries and ice cubes and some cream. Shove the peeled bananas, washed fruit and ice cubes in a liquidiser (or an appropriate bowl if using a stick blender). Whizz them all up together. Then pour in cream to taste and blend again. Dispatch into a glass then dash back and watch the rest of the action.
No. 3 Chocolate Strawberries
In between sets, melt some high quality dark chocolate using either a microwave or the traditional bowl over boiling water method. Meanwhile wash some strawberries and dry them gently. When the chocolate has melted, dip the bottom half of each strawberry in the chocolate to coat them. Stand on a plate on its uncoated top and pop in the fridge to solidify. They should be ready at the end of the next two sets.
No. 4 Post Day’s Action Strawberry Kebabs
At the end of the day’s tennis action, take a couple of tablespoons of runny honey and mix with a tablespoon of lemon or orange juice. Load up some skewers with a combination of washed strawberries, pineapple chunks and apricot halves. Baste the fruit with the honey mixture and grill or barbecue for a few minutes until they are hot all the way through. Game, set and match.
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