TO me, there's nothing that smells more like summer than the sweet scent of freshly cut strawberries. Whether they’re being added to a pavlova, popped into a Pimms or grilled in a balsamic glaze they’re one of my favourite fruity desserts. Actually, I recently learned that strawberries aren’t actually a fruit or a berry due to the fact their seeds are on the outside: technically they are just a fleshy receptacle for the seeds on the outside which are the actual fruit of the strawberry plant. Whatever you want to classify them as, they're damn tasty.

Like our local asparagus, strawberries are something we really wait for at Cultivate because there's just no point in stocking anything else: the local ones are simply the best, even if it does mean having to wait a little longer than the supermarkets do. I think I literally jumped for joy when I found out we were getting not just local but organic strawberries and that I’d be getting the chance to experiment with a few strawberry recipes to pop up on our website.

Our first local strawberries of the season are from Tolhurst Organic, a farm we are exceptionally lucky to have in the local area. Tolhurst is one of the longest-running organic farms in the country: their organic certification with the Soil Association began in 1976 and they’ve been working with food and land for more than 40 years. Despite being in business for many years the farm continues to push boundaries and innovate. Farmer Iain Tolhurst recently came second in the Soil Farmer of the Year competition.

I feel a double satisfaction when eating their produce as, not only does it taste great, you know it's been produced with love and care for the environment. Being organic also means they are free from pesticide residues. This is something which non-organic strawberries contain a higher percentage of than other fruits and veg due to their softer outer skin. Whatever your reasons for picking up a punnet of local, organic strawberries I’m confident our Tolhurst strawberries will be delicious and a fantastic addition to any summer menu.