LIVINGLIVING
FOOD
NEWS
MINI MARVEL
Growing your own tasty fruit and
vegetables appeals to many people, but
not everybody has a garden in which to
do so. A new tomato plant from Tesco is
set to change that. The mini tomato plant
has been developed by produce experts
who have bred together varieties to come
up with one that is small, compact and
very productive. By following the care
instructions the small, but powerful
plants can each produce up to 150
delicious tomatoes with minimal fuss.
The popularity of fresh growing herbs and
vegetable plants is on the increase in the
UK, with demand rising by nearly 10% at
Tesco in the last year. The mini tomatoes
are ideal as a healthy lunchbox snacking
food. The Mini Tomato Plant costs £4 and
is available in more than 300 Tesco stores
across the UK. Tesco herb and vegetable
buyer Phoebe Burgess says, "This plant
should bring not only an abundance of
delicious tasting tomatoes but a lot of
fun in producing one of the UK's favourite
salad foods. The mini tomato plant is
so small it can fit on a sunlit windowsill
and doesn't grow much over one foot
tall. Picked off the plant when perfectly
ripe, the bite-sized tomatoes are juicy
with a classic sweet flavour. The plant
already comes with about 10 tomatoes
growing on it but my tip is that when the
yellow flowers of the plant start to open,
tickle them with your fingers to replicate
pollination which will then encourage
further production."
CORNISH ATTRACTION
Cornish new potatoes are in supermarkets
across the country from June until
August. A highlight of the seasonal
calendar, they have a sweet flavour and
thin skins, which do not need to be
peeled. Jack Stein, executive chef of the
Rick Stein Restaurant Group, grew up
in Cornwall and is passionate about the
county's native produce and seasonality
of ingredients. He says, "The very early
crops of Cornish potatoes are so sweet
and have a slight salinity because they are
grown very close to the sea. You almost
don't need to season these potatoes. All
the flavour is just under the skin so you
get a lovely earthy flavour and the essence
of the best parts of the potato in one
hit." He has developed six new Cornish
potato recipes for these new potatoes
as an alternative to standard varieties
or and to stand up to competition from
other carbohydrates, like rice and pasta.
"Potatoes are a vital carbohydrate and are incredibly healthy, gluten free, fat free and
full of vitamins," he continues, "But most
importantly served simply with a knob of
butter, they are simply delicious."
To download a range of recipes click HERE.