WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE

Heirloom Tomatoes

Message from George McIvor, Chairman of The Master Chefs of Great Britain

Simply put, the term heirloom means an old variety. Heirloom generally come from plants that have been passed down from one generation to the next. They come from open pollenated plants which means they are not genetically modified. There are literally hundreds of varieties that come in all shapes and sizes. The typical colours of these beautiful tomatoes are yellow, green, black and the wonderful striped red.

By comparison to mainstream tomato varieties the cost of heirloom is expensive due to the way they are farmed and hand-picked. The flavour you get from them makes them worth every penny. A favourite simple summer recipe of mine is heirloom tomatoes with bocconcini cheese, torn basil, a sprinkling of sea salt and drizzled with British rapeseed oil. I encourage you to embrace the heirloom tomato season.

OFFICIAL TASTING NOTES

When you open a box of heirloom tomatoes you don’t really know what you’re going to get and that’s part of their charm.

While regular tomatoes are grown for appearance and graded into specific sizes, heirloom tomatoes are grown for flavour.

Yellow heirlooms tend to be milder than the tart, sharp reds and the greens have a light, zesty bite. The darker varieties have more savoury qualities than that of the sweet.

Heirlooms spoil very quickly and are best enjoyed within 1-2 days of buying them. If you need to keep them for longer, choose some that are a little firmer and under-ripe as they Will continue to ripen at room temperature. 1/TOMATO SALAD Heirloom tomatoes, mixed with a colourful variety of cherry tomatoes, simply served with pickled shallots, raspberries, quality olive oil and burrata in this standout salad.

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GRILLED PIZZA WITH GREENS AND TOMATOES

This smoky grilled pizza scores big for two reasons. It encourages more greens, and it showcases fresh produce.

5/ RISOTTO This Tomato Risotto takes advantage of beautiful late summer heirloom tomatoes, topped with buratta, micro herbs and pesto. Fresh shrimps could be a tasty addition to this mouth watering dish. 2/ FISH TACOS Make some fish tacos with quinoa and black beans for a complete and satisfying meal. If you have them, add colourful summer toppings like bright peppers, avocado or purple carrots.

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HEIRLOOM TOMATO CARPACCIO

Eating a tomato in Tuscany is a heavenly experience. Bring that experience to your dinner table with this gorgeous fiveminute recipe.

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

An easy way to use up a large haul of tomatoes, no matter what they look like, is to oven roast them. Drizzle with olive oil, cook in a low oven for around 3 hours, until the tomatoes are completely soft and starting to caramelize. These are great for topping salads, dressing pasta or topping bruschetta.