Tomatoes

Tomato season in the UK is reasonably short due to our often disappointing summer, but those that have grown outside with plenty of natural sun and water are always much tastier than the forced variety grown under glass - and now is the time to make the most of them.

Easy to grow at home, even if you only have a small patio or balcony, there are lots of small producers particularly on the south coast who produce a variety of fantastic tasting tomatoes. Grab some at your local farmers market or farm shop now - those on the vine keep a little longer, but we tend to find they get eaten too quickly for that to make much difference!

Tips

Try and buy fresh tomatoes on the vine if you want to keep them for a few days
Whole tomatoes can be frozen for use in sauces and soups - just add them whole and frozen where you would usually add tinned tomatoes
If you would like to try and grow your own, Tumbler, Tumbling Ton and Red Alert are all good bush varieties
If you have more room and want to grow taller varieties, money Maker and Gardeners Delight do well in our climate
Make your own pasta sauce with fresh ripe tomatoes - Chope a couple of onions and a few cloves of gralic, cook in olive oil and then add chopped tomatoes (roughly 1kg) and simmer for 30 minutes, adding herbs of your choice to taste