Are strawberries a foreign species? A British smallholder explains how the British eat them

Eating strawberries with fresh cream while watching Wimbledon has long been the British summer everyone imagines; indeed, since the first Wimbledon match in 1877, strawberries and cream have been sold at the courts, and to this day, Britain seems to be a leading strawberry producer, so it is likely that few people know that the strawberry varieties eaten today are not native British species at all!

From the kitchen gardens preserved in medieval castles,we learn that the British of the past ate wild berries (Alpine Strawberry). The native red berry is petite in shape, with a prickly-looking skin, somewhat like a lychee from a distance, and a rather coarse texture. This wild berry can be found everywhere in the woods, and it is relatively cold-tolerant and, by comparison, more robust.

Ingredients:

1. 500 grams of strawberries, stems removed
2. 400 milliliters of fresh cream, whipped
3. Ready-made meringue, crushed
4. Fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Method:

1. Put 250 grams of strawberries into a blender and puree them, chop the rest, and keep a few whole for decoration
2. Mix the strawberry puree, whipped fresh cream and crushed meringue together
3. Put all the ingredients into a chilled glass, and finally top with whole strawberries and mint leaves for garnish