Liven up dull and watery shop-bought strawbs with a hit of basil and balsamic.In my youth, I had no time for people who messed with strawberries. First it was all: "Oh yah! Have you tried strawberries with black pepper? They're amaaazing." But British strawberries were so scented, sweet and short-lived that it seemed pointless to pair them with anything. When I did try it, the black pepper just bounced off the shining strawberry like hail off tarmac. It was impossible to get the two substances into your mouth at the same time.
Then, in the late 1980s, Sainsbury's introduced balsamic vinegar. And it was all: "The balsamic punctuates the strawberry. Somehow it makes them even more strawberry-ey." But they still tasted much better on their own.
Since then, though, as supermarkets have demanded bigger yields, British strawberries have become more watery and pallid. The ratio of flavour bombs to soggy sponges has plummeted. In a typical box of the Elsantas variety, I reckon you are lucky to get one in five that tastes of anything at all.
My former boss, the chef Bruno Loubet, showed me how to inject some flavour back in by lacerating the sides of his strawberries with a serrated knife and dropping them into a hot syrup (served with green peppercorn ice‑cream). They deserved the adulteration, and tasted good for it.
Now, unless I get a good batch, I rarely eat strawberries without meddling in some way. At my house it's all: drop them into a hot cardamom and vanilla red wine syrup, or sprinkle them with chopped borage. Alternatively, this drink - our version of one that hit the London party circuit in the 1990s - is a the perfect way to make them sing.
Make your own strawberry and basil soda
Makes 2
200g strawberries, chopped; keep 2 for garnishing
2 tsp sugar
Juice of 1 orange
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
8 basil leaves, shredded, plus more for garnishing
350ml soda water
1 Mix the strawberries, sugar, orange juice, vinegar and basil. Leave for a few minutes at room temperature, then blend and pass through a fine sieve.
2 Divide the mix between two glasses with ice. Add the soda water and stir. Top with a strawberry and basil leaf.
Henry Dimbleby is co-founder of the healthy fast-food restaurant chain Leon (@henry_leon)
Photo Credit: Soda so good: a strawberry and basil soda Photograph: Jill Mead for the Guardian