What to do with: Strawberries

Nothing spells summer quite like the plentiful supply of fresh, juicy strawberries.

The low-down

Availability: October-January

Buying: Look for firm, bright red strawberries with no mushy bits. Very large berries can have less flavour. We like the smaller, sweeter varieties.

Storing: Keep in the fridge in their punnet, and eat within one or two days. 

Nutrition: Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C and beneficial phytonutrients.

Ideas for using strawberries

• Dip in chocolate, of course! What a perfect thing to add to your Christmas dessert platter. Mix it up by doing some dark, some milk and some white chocolate.

• Make mini pavlovas with lemon-flavoured yoghurt and strawberries as a delicious filling.

• Make a gorgeous fruit salad with fresh peaches, nectarines, apricots and strawberries. Drizzle with passion fruit syrup.

• Make a strawberry compote by gently heating strawberries with a little sugar until the juices are released. Chill and use on cereal or for dessert.

• Whiz fresh strawberries in a blender with a little icing sugar to make a sauce. Use in your own ice cream sundaes with more fresh berries.

• Serve berries as they are with a small dish of light sour cream and another of brown sugar. An odd-sounding combination but it’s really delicious.

• Add strawberries to baby spinach leaves and toss with a few shavings of parmesan. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar for a sophisticated salad.

• Slice fresh strawberries over cereal and yoghurt for a fresh, tasty breakfast.

• Make strawberry and banana muffins. Add strawberries to a basic muffin recipe.