Strawberry recipes: From margarita ice lollies to Pimm’s strawberry jam

Tennis is the sporting event that goes best with plenty of strawberries, Pimm’s and sunshine. Try these three recipes to get your fill of the juicy fruit

Red alert: the time to eat the national institution that is the strawberry is now

Strawberry margarita ice lollies by Sally Abé

These margarita ice lollies are the perfect frozen summer tipple, with beautifully sweet and juicy strawberries forming a tasty counterpart to the zingy lime and ferocious tequila.

300g of strawberries, hulled
​75ml of tequila
1 lime, zest and juice
12 basil leaves
​25ml of stock syrup

Place the strawberries and tequila in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the lime zest and basil leaves and pulse until they are chopped up but not completely blitzed.

Add the sugar syrup and lime juice, you can add more or less how you like it, just remember the flavour will be lesser once frozen. Transfer to the lolly moulds and place in the freezer to set, ideally overnight.

Strawberry soup and Mosto Cotto by Francesco Mazzei

Strawberry soup

500g of strawberries, plus extra for garnish
1 pinch of szechuan pepper
1 tbsp of sugar
½ lemon, amalfi, zest only
5g of Thai basil, fresh, leaves only

Mosto Cotto

10ml of mosto cotto
​10ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 pinch of salt

Mascarpone

100g of mascarpone
¾ vanilla pod, seeds scraped
1 tsp icing sugar

Garnish with edible flowers

To emulsify the Mosto Cotto, add to a bowl along with the olive oil and salt and whisk vigorously until the ingredients come together. Set aside until required​. Wash and hull the strawberries, then slice in half. Combine the pepper, white sugar, lemon zest and basil leaves in a bowl. Mix through the strawberries and leave to marinate for 2 hours in the fridge​.

After 2 hours, remove the basil leaves and blitz the strawberry mix in a blender until very smooth. Set aside in the fridge. Now make the sweetened mascarpone. Mix the mascarpone cream, the seeds from the vanilla and icing sugar in a bowl.

To serve, gently pour the strawberry soup into 4 bowls and finish with quenelles of mascarpone and a drizzle of the Mosto Cotto emulsion. Garnish with strawberry slices and edible flower petals before serving.

Cream scones with Pimm’s strawberry jam by Karen Burns-Booth

Pimm’s strawberry jam

500g of strawberries, hulled an halved if they are very large
​500g of white cane sugar
1 lemon, juiced
4 tbsp of Pimm’s, No. 1 Cup

Cream scones

450g of self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp salt
​110g of butter, soft, or margarine
75g of caster sugar
75g of mixed dried fruits, optional
1 large egg, beaten
​150ml of single cream
milk, to glaze

Start the jam the night before you plan to make it. Place the strawberries and sugar in a jam pan and mix well. Cover and keep in a cool place overnight. The next day, gently heat the strawberries and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then bring it to a rolling boil and add the lemon juice. Boil for about 8-10 minutes.

Check for a set after 8 minutes (using one of the techniques above) and when set, take the pan off the heat straightaway. If the jam has not set, continue to boil, checking every 2-3 minutes until the set has been achieved. Spoon off any scum that has risen to the top, let the jam settle for 2-3 minutes then stir in the Pimm’s. Ladle the hot jam into warm, sterilised jam jars and screw the lids on immediately. Label the jars and store in the fridge once opened.

Now make the scones. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Mix the flour with the bicarbonate of soda and salt and rub in the margarine or butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar (and dried fruit if using) and mix well. Add the beaten egg and the single cream and mix with a palette knife until you have a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured board and press it down until it is about 2cm in thickness. Stamp out the scones with a scone cutter, glaze them with a little milk and place onto a greased and/or lined baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they are well risen and golden brown.

Recipes courtesy of Great British Chefs. Visit their site for more sensational strawberry recipes