Strawberries on test
Specially Selected Strawberries – British (300g), £2.59, Aldi
They were all a uniform size and were mostly sweet, although a couple had a sharp tang. Juicy, with a hint of strawberry taste, they were let down by a poor best-before date, which meant a few were on the turn.
Verdict: Check the dates before you buy. 6/10
British Strawberries (400g), £2, The Co-op
A larger than average punnet packed with well-shaped, deep red strawberries. Sumptuous to bite into but we were surprised that a couple were on the sharp side. Came close to hitting our strawberry spot.
Verdict: Worth popping in the basket. 8/10
Grower’s Selection (300g), £1.29, Asda
On the small side, they were hard and crunchy and looked like they had been picked from someone’s back garden. They were bitter and like eating wood – and to make matters worse, several were on the verge of going mouldy. Nothing could redeem them.
Verdict: How are these even on the shelf? 0/10
British Strawberries (400g), £2, Iceland
A mixture of sizes and shapes with a pleasant, fresh, British summer aroma. Tasty with a good fruity tang and a nice bite. They disappeared very quickly.
Verdict: Very refreshing. 9/10
British Strawberries (400g), £2, Sainsbury’s
Looked plump and enticing with a lovely rich red colour and they were a perfect even size. We deliberately chose a punnet with smaller strawberries as we thought they might be tastier. But they literally had no flavour at all – just juicy, watery and tasteless.
Verdict: Very disappointing. 1/10
Market St Strawberries (400g), £2, Morrisons
Nice evenly sized punnet in perfect strawberry red. They were sweet, juicy and packed with flavour, but still crisp and not overripe. No need for anything extra – perfect on their own.
Verdict: Taste of summer. 10/10
Oaklands Strawberries (400g), £1.49, Lidl
Small and slightly underripe with a dull colouring. Not a lot of flavour – we only got the tiniest hint of strawberry from the odd one. They were woody and had a slightly bitter taste that wasn’t pleasant.
Verdict: Needed a bit longer in the sunshine. 2/10
British Strawberries (400g), £2 or two for £3, Tesco
Impressive size, plump and full of sweetness, they seemed to be a value-for-money buy. An intense red, they had that just-picked freshness with the stalks still attached. But we were disappointed to see insect damage with small holes in too many for our liking.
Verdict: Shame about the creepycrawlies. 8/10