Tomato
Solanum lycopersicum
We choose our organic tomatoes for flavour, trialling, testing and tasting until we find the best varieties. They’re sweet, deeply flavoured and bursting with juice.
In the kitchen
How to store Tomato
Store at room temperature if you’ll be eating them within 2-3 days, for the best flavour. If you need them to last longer, keep them in the fridge. Wash before use, and use a serrated knife to chop.
Prep & Cooking tips
Unless your knife is very sharp, it's easiest to use a serrated knife for slicing. To skin them, cut a shallow cross into the top and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drop into cold water and peel the loosened skins away with ease.
At their peak it seems a shame to do more than eat them raw, sliced and simply dressed or as part of a salad of complementary bedfellows. They’ll sweeten and blister in a hot oven or will collapse into a mellow sauce if sautéed with a little onion and garlic.
Easy ideas
1. Breakfast
Not the grilled tomato on the Full English but rather the Spanish snack pan con tomate. Toast a slice of good bread and rub it vigorously with a cut clove of garlic. Do the same with half a ripe tomato, rubbing until all you have left is the skin. Sprinkle over salt and olive oil, scoff with strong coffee.
2. Lunch
At their peak, it’s a shame to put them in anything other than a simple sliced tomato salad. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt is really all you need. Needless to say, torn basil and ragged clouds of creamy mozzarella are classic additions.
3. Dinner
They can be cooked down into rich sauces and stews but also make a wonderful gratin, thinly sliced, seasoned with salt, pepper and oil, and alternated with layers of sliced courgette. Bake for 30 mins before topping with parmesan and breadcrumbs for a further 15 mins.
Goes well with
Spices (Anise, Chilli, Cinnamon, Cloves)
Cheese (Feta, Gruyere, Mozzarella)
Herbs (Basil, Coriander, Mint, Oregano, Tarragon, Thyme)
Aubergine
Bacon
Eggs
Garlic
Meat
Olives and olive oil
Salt
Tomato recipes
-
Tomato leaf pesto
Serves: 4 Total time: 5 min
-
Roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine
Serves: 6 Total time: 20 min
-
Braised onions with sundried tomatoes, rosemary, pine nuts and feta
Serves: 4 Total time: 55 min
-
Courgette and tomato soup with basil croutons
Serves: 4 Total time: 45 min
-
Chunky tomato and courgette pasta bowl
Serves: 4 Total time: 40 min
-
Chicken paprikash with tomato and cumin rice
Serves: 2 Total time: 30 min
In the field
-
Meet the grower: Paco Lozano , Motril, Spain
Paco Lozano runs EcoSur along with his three brothers and has been working with Riverford for over ten years. They grow many of our tomatoes as well as mini watermelons, organic papaya, aubergines, a rainbow of pepper varieties and our first spring flush of french beans.
UK seasonality
Our season lasts from June to mid September though using cold tunnels we can sometimes extend the season to mid October.Tomato varieties
-
Baby plum tomatoes
These red baby plum tomatoes smell irresistible and taste sweet, juicy and full of sunshine.
-
Black Pearl tomatoes
Combine a handsome ribbed shape with a striking variegated red/green colour, blushing to an almost purple tinge as they ripen. Don’t wait for them to turn completely; they ripen from the inside out, so will remain slightly green on the outside even at their ripest. They are thick fleshed, with a good balance of sweet and sharp flavour.
-
Cherry tomatoes
Sweet, juicy and full of flavour - pop them like sweets, slice them through salads with just the lightest of seasoning or slow cook in a low oven (100˚C or lower) until half dried and intensely flavoured. You can store in olive oil for a few weeks if well covered.
-
Marmande tomatoes
A juicy, refreshing beefsteak variety, with a crisp, almost melon-like flavour and few seeds. They ripen from the inside out remaining slightly green on the outside even at their ripest.
-
Otello tomatoes
A Spanish crossover variety combining the chunkiness of a beef tomato with the sweet, fragrant flavour of a traditional tomato. Their handsome ribbed forms have an unusual dark, almost chocolatey tinge.
-
Rebellion tomatoes
Succulent, smooth-skinned Rebellion tomatoes with a handsome ribbed shape – good and chunky, just right for stuffing.
