HULLING STRAWBERRIES – A DAUGHTER’S TIP

A few years ago, my younger daughter, Olivia, spent the Wimbledon fortnight hulling and counting out strawberries while working in the members’ restaurant the All England Lawn Tennis Club. In fact I think her job included a few more jobs besides.

There she discovered and passed on a really great tip for hulling strawberries.

Hulling strawberries using a straw

Here it is and a really snappy way of going about the task it is.

It is also a fun and safe job for small children who want to help out

Use any straw. I already had a metal one and this makes it even easier.

Wash strawberries and insert the straw at the pointy end and through the centre and then out through the green leaves.

The stalk and leaves will pop out leaving you will an irresistible pile of strawbs.

Now that strawberries abound all summer remember they have  so many ways of including them in meals.

I mostly enjoy their classic uses.

Strawberry traditions

Cream tea – probably the best jam to serve with cream and scones. Cream first and then jam on top, of course!

Eton mess – meringue, whipped cream and strawberries and what a mess I can make .So quick and easy to knock up and not to mention a fantastic used of those broken meringues. There is a huge number of variations but here are a couple of links  for a good Eton mess and Nigella’s addition.

Cake and pudding decoration I soaked the strawberries in Pimms before adding them to this  Pimms Drizzle cake. 

Strawberry Jam I consider strawberries to be one of the best fruits for jam making so here is one of Beryl’s – the whole fruit version with those hulled fruits.

Strawberry Jam (Whole Fruit)

910g strawberries (2lb), 680g (1½ lb ) sugar, juice 1 lemon

Put sugar in pan with little water to make a syrup; add lemon juice and strawberries very carefully; boil till syrup jellies;; do stir very gently to avoid crushing fruit.

Pippa