Free strawberries and a fantastic summer recipe

Scottish berry grower and supplier Angus Soft Fruits are giving away their delicious AVA strawberry varieties at key retailers in Edinburgh this week – as well as a tasty summer recipe.

It’s part of their summer PR and marketing drive, which is aimed at increasing consumer awareness and demand for their premium berry line.

The varieties included under the AVA Berries banner have been bred by the Angus Soft Fruits in-house Breeding Programme for exceptional flavour, texture, appearance and shelf life.

Customers visiting Aldi Oxgangs Road on Thursday, Coop Dalry Road on Friday, and Morrisons Hunters Tryst on Saturday will be able to sample three of the company’s premium strawberry varieties; AVA Rosa, AVA Star and AVA Blush.

Jill Witheyman, marketing manager at Angus Soft Fruits said: ‘This year we were the Official Strawberry Supplier of the Edinburgh Marathon Festival and over 12,000 hungry runners sampled our delicious AVA strawberry varieties.

‘We’re very excited to be back in Edinburgh this week giving away free strawberries in partnership with three of the supermarkets our AVA varieties can be found this summer; Aldi, Morrisons and Coop.

‘The feedback we have been getting so far has been extremely positive, with a number of people remarking that AVA™ strawberries are the best they’ve ever had. A lot of people don’t know about different strawberry varieties, but in fact there are over 30 different varieties currently being grown in the UK. Every variety tastes different, but if its AVA, strawberry lovers can be confident they are buying berries of the highest quality.”

This year, over 2,000 tonnes of AVA strawberries will be grown by an exclusive group of growers in the North East of Scotland, where the warm days and cool nights produce the finest quality berries.

While best enjoyed straight from the plant, strawberries are an extraordinarily versatile berry and make the perfect ingredient in both sweet and savoury dishes. What’s more, a 100g serving of strawberries contains only 30 calories and 0.5g of fat, so you can enjoy sweet AVA strawberries all summer long. Why not try this delicious, Summer Berry Pavolva – sure to delight any dinner guest.