For many Londoners, late summer will be defined by sporadic heatwaves and downpours, pizza in the park and queuing for lidos. But for those with a passion for produce, this is the time to buy the very best tomatoes, with production peaking from now until September.
While, historically, the UK has been heavily reliant on fresh produce from the Mediterranean, our warming climate means that homegrown and locally produced varieties are in season much longer, making them a flavour-packed addition to summery recipes.
So, how to choose the perfect tomato? For food writer Anastasia Miari, you can’t go past a nonna’s guidance. To research her forthcoming recipe book, Mediterranea – which follows her 2023 cookbook, Yiayia: Time-Perfected Recipes From Greece’s Grandmothers – Miari toured the kitchens of grandmas around the region to learn their time-perfected dishes. She’s tried tomatoes everywhere from London to Llubí in Spain, and the wisdom she’s gathered from grannies confirms that aesthetics will only get you so far. “You really need to check it smells and feels good,” Miari tells Broadsheet.
Ripe tomatoes can come in all shapes and sizes, but when copping a feel you want them to be “nice and dense and heavy, without being too firm”, she says. “It usually means they’re juicier – particularly if you’re choosing a beef tomato.” On the other hand, “if it’s too soft, bruised or wrinkled, then it’s overripe”. As for the scent, it should be “earthy and fresh if it has flavour”.
She adds that you should watch out for “green patches on red tomatoes”, which imply they’ve been picked off the plant too soon and ripened unnaturally. Being on the vine isn’t a sure-fire sign of great tasting tomatoes, either. “Often supermarkets leave them on to make them look sexier and to speed-ripen them.”
Georgia Spanos, founder of Uno magazine, which launched this summer with an issue of tomato recipes from around the world, agrees that it’s wise to be suspicious of overly perfect-looking produce. “I like a little wonkiness – it’s nature,” she says.
As for the varieties we should be shopping for right now, Spanos says her favourites are “piccolo tomatoes, a type of cherry tomato but with more sweetness. They have a thick skin that holds up well in cooking or slow-roasting.”
For sandwiches or salads, she likes coeur de boeuf. “My nonna used to use them,” she says. And if you want to take pot luck, Spanos “goes with whatever looks good at my local deli. I like cooking with different shapes and colours.”
When it comes to producers to watch out for, Miari recommends Isle of Wight Tomatoes. “In season, they taste great on their own with loads of good olive oil and salt, or in a caprese salad with mozzarella and basil.” Natoora, which sells seasonal vegetable boxes, is also a name to know. “They work with small growers across Europe,” Spanos says.
The final word on tomatoes? Never store them in the fridge, according to Miari. “This will make them lose their flavour and taste mealy. Tomatoes can spoil very fast, so ideally eat them as close to buying as possible. Something my yiayia taught me is to store them vine down – it helps to keep the juice and the water in the tomato. They should be kept somewhere cool and dark, like a cupboard.”
Anastasia Miari and Georgia Spanos’s top five London grocery stores for organic tomatoes
Bora & Sons, Walthamstow
Miari: “They’ve just moved to Walthamstow from Lordship Lane. This is where all the food stylists I know get their tomatoes – they have such a wide selection of colours and varieties.”
@bora_sons
67 Orford Road, London, E17 9NJ
Gladwell’s Deli & Grocery, Camberwell
Spanos: “It’s my local. The tomatoes are always fragrant smelling and look juicy.”
gladwells.co.uk
2 Camberwell Church Street, London, SE5 8QU
The Grocery, Shoreditch
Miari: “It’s where I shop locally for a great organic fruit and vegetable selection whenever I’m in London.”
thegroceryshop.co.uk
52–56 Kingsland Road, London, E2 8DP
New Spitalfields Market, Leyton
Spanos: “This wholesale market is a great source for good produce. You have to get up early, but lots of restaurants get produce from here.”
newspitalfieldsmarket.co.uk
23 Sherrin Road, London, E10 5SQ
Panzer’s Deli & Grocery, St John’s Wood
Miari: “It’s a famous Jewish deli selling and delivering great produce, and it has a huge selection of tomatoes.”
panzers.co.uk
13–19 Circus Road, London, NW8 6PB
Mediterranea: Life-perfected Recipes from Grandmothers of the Mediterranean by Anastasia Miari, £28, is out now.
Find more about Uno at @uno_foodmag.