tomatoes

The first tomatoes of the summer are Italian. The English start only at the end of July. We buy most of our English tomatoes from two growers, who have experimented with thirty odd varieties. As we have so much choice, matching the kind of tomato to the recipe is part of the enjoyment.

The very large bulbous tomatoes, some weighing up to 500 g, are used raw in salads and with bruschetta because their skins are thin, with dense pulp, few seeds and juices, and a sweet flavour. Varieties include Japanese Oxheart, Brandy Wine, Dr Neal, Jubilee and the yellow Margold.

Plum tomatoes are good for making sauces, and the ripest make the sweetest sauce. They also have fewer seeds, more flesh and less juice. Their skins are usually thicker, which makes them easy to peel. Good plum varieties are Perini, Roma, Martino and San Marzano.

Cherry tomatoes have a strong sweet taste. They travel well and are best bought on the vine. Sweet One Hundred has a good taste if you wish to grow them yourself.

We store all tomatoes outside the restaurant, never in the fridge, to help the flavour develop.

When removing the skin, pierce the tomato with a pointed knife. Place in boiling water to the count of ten, then remove, place in cold water, and peel as soon as they are cool. Cut out any tough stalk core before chopping the flesh.