Celebrate the British Blackcurrant Season
It's a berry exciting time of year here at Seed. We have worked with the Blackcurrant Foundation for a number of years, helping them share why we should all love the Great British Blackcurrant.
To mark the start of the British harvest we will be celebrating Blackcurrant Day on the 15th of July. This special occasion gives us the opportunity to appreciate the unassuming yet magnificent blackcurrant. As a key fruit in Britain's agricultural landscapes, blackcurrants truly deserve their day in the spotlight. So here are some enlightening statistics about blackcurrant farming in Britain:
Blackcurrant Production: Britain significantly contributes to the world's blackcurrant yield, producing a whopping 10,000 tonnes of blackcurrants annually.
Growing: Blackcurrants are cultivated over an approximate area of 1,400 hectares across Britain, with notable concentrations in Scotland, Herefordshire, and Kent.
Varieties: The Ben Lomond, Ben Connan, and Ben Hope varieties of blackcurrants are predominantly grown in Britain, and interesting fact get their names from Scotland's magnificent mountains.
Uses: The vast majority of British blackcurrants (90%) are used to create Ribena, the nation's beloved blackcurrant-based beverage.
Health Benefits: Blackcurrants are a powerhouse of health benefits. They contain four times the amount of vitamin C found in oranges and are packed with antioxidants.
So no celebration is worth having without ice-cream, so we asked our chef Loopy to come up with the ultimate recipe, and we think she did it!
No-Churn Blackcurrant Soft Serve Recipe
You will need:
150ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar or 1 tbsp maple syrup
125g frozen blackcurrants
2 large croissants
Nuts, blackcurrants and melted chocolate to garnish
Method:
Lightly whisk the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla extract.
Add this mixture to a blender along with the frozen blackcurrants and whizz until smooth.
Cut one end of your croissant off and fill the croissant with your soft serve.
Garnish with toppings of your choice (we went for nuts, melted chocolate and blackcurrants)
Serve immediately 😋