Happy Friday: A Celebration of Hyper-Seasonal Fruit

As we approach the weekend, we wanted to bring a little something special to ease you into it. Today, we're excited to share with you some of the world's best hyper-seasonal fruits that are sure to tantalize your taste buds. From the exotic to the familiar, these fruits are not only delicious but also packed with nutrients and flavor.

First up, let's talk about mangoes. Specifically, we have a delightful variety from South America that's sure to impress even the most discerning palates. This Queen Victoria pineapple is, in fact, a type of mango that's small in size but makes up for it with its intense fragrance and sweet flavour. The flesh is light yellow, and the core is soft – it's like biting into a pina colada! We're excited to try these and explore the unique characteristics that make them stand out from the usual pineapples we find in the UK.

But mangoes aren't the only hyper-seasonal fruit on our list. Next, we have strawberries, but not just any strawberries – we're talking about gariguette strawberries from France! These elongated fruits are soft and juicy, with an intense sweet and aromatic flavour that's simply divine. They're so fragrant that they perfume the markets in Provence, and when in season, they taste fantastic. We've heard of these before, thanks to a friend who worked at Le Manoir, where the Michelin-starred chef is known for using them in his dishes.

Speaking of Le Manoir, we have a fascinating connection to one of our featured fruits – the strawberry. Chef Raymond Blanc's restaurant has been serving a dessert called La Gariguette, which features strawberries in several different forms and is said to showcase their sublime, real strawberry flavours and textures. We're excited to try these strawberries and see why they're considered one of the best varieties.

Now, let's move on to another fascinating fruit – the strawberry from France that we've been raving about. These stretchy strawberries are a game-changer, with an intense sweetness and aroma that's simply irresistible. They're so good that we can almost smell their perfume as they come apart in your hand, like a small, delicate ornament. We can't wait to try them and experience the magic for ourselves.

Stretchy Strawberries: A Game-Changer

We've been told that these stretchy strawberries are unlike anything we've ever tasted before – and we're excited to see if our expectations match up with reality. As we mentioned earlier, these elongated fruits are soft and juicy, with an intense sweet and aromatic flavour that's simply divine. They're so fragrant that they perfume the markets in Provence, and when in season, they taste fantastic.

According to our sources, these strawberries have been prized by chefs for their wonderful scent and outstanding flavour. We can't wait to see why – and we're excited to try them and experience the magic for ourselves. Whether you're a strawberry enthusiast or just looking to try something new, these stretchy strawberries are definitely worth a try.

Strawberries from France: A Royal Connection

We've got a fascinating story behind our featured strawberries – they come from a royal connection that's steeped in history and tradition. Did you know that Chef Raymond Blanc once worked at Le Manoir, where he used to work with these very same strawberries? The chef has mentioned them in conversation before, and we can't wait to see how they'll stack up against the hype.

As it turns out, these strawberries have been a staple in French cuisine for centuries – and they're still widely regarded as one of the best varieties today. We're excited to try them and experience the magic for ourselves – but are they really worth all the fuss? We can't wait to find out!

The Queen Victoria Pineapple: A Game-Changer

Now, let's talk about our final featured fruit – the Queen Victoria pineapple from South America. This small, yellow pineapple may look like an ornament at first glance, but trust us when we say it packs a big punch in terms of flavor and aroma.

This pineapple is unlike any other we've ever tasted before – its flesh is light yellow, and the core is soft and tender. The best part? It has an incredibly subtle sweetness that's simply divine. We're excited to try these pineapples and see why they're considered one of the best varieties in the world.

According to our sources, these pineapples were introduced to South America in 1668 and have been prized ever since for their fruity and sweet flavours. They may be small, but they make up for it with their intense fragrance and delicious taste – we can't wait to experience them for ourselves!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- Hello, everyone. Happy Friday.Little something something for youto ease you into the weekend.- Now, we all know thatfoods that are in seasonjust taste better, but how much better?- Well, the team here have sourcedsome of the world's besthyper seasonal fruitfor us to try, taste and review today.- Let's do it.(extravagant upbeat music)- Mangoes.- Mangoes?- Mangoes.This is a Peruvian mango.And if you haven't alreadyguessed, it's from Peru.(Jamie chuckling)The Peruvian mango is knownto have yellow undertonesor dots that cover moreof the mango as it ripens.This mango has deep, sweet, caramel notesand juicy, tender flesh.- It didn't cut the waythat I wanted it to,but it's 'cause I feellike I tried to cut itlike an avocado.- You did. You avacado'd it.Oh, Ja'!(Jamie laughing)Why did you avocado it?Well, now I'm gonna have to get spoons.- Cheers.- Wow!- That's like a mango times 10.- That is so sweet.- I'm gonna use the word zingy.- You hardly need to chew it.- The flesh is so, so tender.- Can you taste the caramel undertones?Almost that sort of ever so slightlybitter sweetness is there.Is it better?And what percentage betterthan sort of the standard mangothat we'd buy in a supermarket?- It's a hundred percent better.- So twice as better.- It's twice as good as a normal mangothat we would get in anormal UK supermarket.- Yeah, I agree with that.- Yeah.- Why does seasonalfruit taste better? Do you know?- Does food that's in season taste betterbecause all of the rightnutrients are in the soilat that time of year,because of the weather and the climate?- Well, it says here, it'sall about reproduction.The high temperatures in the environmentaccelerate the ripening process.This ensures juicy, soft, and ripe fruitsfilled with aroma to allurehumans and animals to eat it.The seed within the fruitcan then pass through themand will be dispersed far and wide,ensuring the long-termsurvival of the species.- Okay.- So it's Darwin-y, but for fruit.- But for fruit.- It's like ensuring survival.Okay, so at the end of these,why don't we like writelike an internet review?You think you know mango, no, no, no.- Give this toanother man, man-go, wow!- I don't want to do that one.(Jamie laughing)(Mike laughing)Number two.Oranges. Blood oranges?- These are Moro bloodoranges. They're from Sicily.Traditionally, they are sweeter,less tangy than standard oranges,and have more of a floral or tart flavour.- You're saying this as ifit's information you know,when you're reading.- And now I know it.- Oh, wow.- Oh yes.So chefs love them, becausethey can segment them.- Yeah and they like, useit to make salads palatable.(Jamie laughing)- Exactly. Otherwise, youdon't win friends with salad.- Is that your new motto?(both laughing)(upbeat music)- So some varieties maytaste like orange juicewith added raspberry, cranberry,or fruit punch flavours.Has the mouth feel of a regular orange,but the segments have fewer seeds.That's a really deep,intense orange flavour.- It tastes of berries.- It's like drinking a fruitdrink that's got a combination.- Yeah. Yeah, that'sexactly what it's like.- Yeah.I'm giving some more info as well.So, blood oranges are full of anthocyanin.- Oh.- Which is a type of antioxidant.These are the pigments thatgive them their dark red colour.- But from taste alone and the experience,that's fantastic.I'm not an orange fan, normally.- You're not?- No. It's fine.I don't drink orange juice.I hate eating foods whereorange has been added.Duck a l'orange. Duck's fine.Like just duck's good enough.Chocolate Orange, no. No, no, no, no, no.- Oh, Chocolate Orange is the best.- No.- Now, imagine Chocolate Blood Orange.- If you like Chocolate Orange,you should be sectioned.(all laughing)- Like an orange?- Thank you.- Yes? Yes, well, yeah.- It's got a taste of red berry.- Yeah.- Coming through.And then as you're eatingit, there's a really lovelysour, like Haribo sourness to it.How about this?Save a taste bud. Give blood-orange.- You'll feel Sicilyif you don't try these.(all laughing)- That one.- Pow!- Stretched?- Stretchy strawberries.- Stretchy long strawberries.- Now, this is different,because we're filming this in March.- Yes.- And in the UK, strawberryseason is like July.- Yeah, absolutely.And honestly, one brutal rule I haveis never, ever, ever buystrawberries in the UKout of season, 'causethey taste of nothing.- So these aregariguette strawberriesand they're from France.It's an old and much loved French varietywhich is prized by leadingchefs for its wonderful scentand outstanding flavour.(Jamie sniffing)- I think you have to bite into it.I've never had a strawberrythat tasted that good, ever.Ooh, they're like a sherbet strawberry.- It's really tart, butalso really sweet. Sherbet.So these elongatedfruits are soft and juicyand have the most intensesweet and aromatic flavour.They're so fragrant, that when in season,they perfume the markets in Provencewith the most heavenly scent,and simply taste fantastic.- Gariguette, I've heard ofthese before because, from Kush,who was telling me, thatwhen he worked at Le Manoir,the Michelin star restauranthe keeps on bringing up,that he used to work at.- Did he tell you thisbefore he wrote this card?- Oh! What's on the card?- Please, carry on.- Well, I remember him justsaying that they did a dishentirely based off ofstrawberries at the restaurant.- Let me tell you something,these strawberrieshave actually been used in adesert called La Gariguetteat Raymond Blanc's restaurant, Le Manoir.(Mike laughing)Which features a strawberryin several different forms,and they're said to have the most sublime,real strawberry flavours and textures.- It tastes fragrant. It tasteslike it smells, delicious.- I would saythat is smack you aroundthe face strawberry.- Yes, I'd say that's smack youin the face and up the nose.The aroma, 80% flavour,boosh, and then it delivers.I mean, 100% of the 20% that you eat.100% of the 20%.- Yeah.- And a hundred percent of the 80%.- Oh my god, you're getting 200%.- Exactly, I'd say...- That is 200% of a strawberry.- And that's our review.- Wow.- Well they know what this one is.(Jamie laughing)- Ooh!- Ooh!- Ooh, it's likea small, very yellow pineapple.- It's beautiful.- Yeah.- It looks like an ornament.- Oh my goodness, it comes apart.- It just, it falls apart.- Wow.- It's like a good pork shoulder.- Oh! (laughs)- This is Queen Victoriapineapple from South America.These pineapples are verysmall, but they make up for itwith their intensefragrance and sweet flavour.The flesh is light yellowand the core is soft.I'm excited to try these,'cause I've actuallyhad some pineapple recently, last night.Oh, wow. Oh, wow!- The texture is much,much softer than pineapplesI feel like we generally get in the UK.- I think that tastes likea pina colada. (laughs)It's so subtle and smooth.- Yeah!Yeah.Sometimes pineapple can bequite glandular, can't it?- Yeah. (laughs)- It gets you down here,but this is far smootherand it doesn't have, is that sourness?I don't know, but it doesn'thave any of the sourness.- No. No, there's no sourness at all.So these were introducedto South America in 1668.And due to the fruity and sweet flavours,these pineapples are consideredto be the best in the world.So smooth.- Super smooth, super creamy,sweet pineapple heaven.Our review.Good things come in small spiky packages.- Small pine-ackages.- Yes. Yeah.- Good things come in small pine-ackages.If you're enjoying this,there are some small things you can dothat make a big difference to us.Like the video, subscribe if you aren't,click the notificationbell and select, \"All.\"Thanks.Lemons. Bergamot.- Bergamot!- Bergamot?- Bergamot.- So what do weknow about bergamot?- Honestly, as soon asyou cut that, the smell.- Oh, that is so true, actually.- It is such a strong fragrance.- Whoa!- So it's used inhand soaps, in perfumes.- Yeah.- In bath bombs, in all ofthose kind of, toiletries,because of that fragrance.- Are we going to try it?- I don't know if we are,because I... (laughs)- For the sake of these people.- Cheers.- This is quite...- Cor, that is-- Sour.- so intense.- Cor, the flesh is hard, isn't it?- It's all hard.What I've learned from using Bergamot,is it's a really good complementaryflavour to other foods.- Yeah.Okay. The juice is a lot morefloral and a lot more sharp.I can't open this eye.(Jamie laughing)- Oh, that is floral with a buzz.- Cor, look how muchwe knew about Bergamot-- I know!- without even readinganything from the card.- Berg-lads!- \"This is Bergamotcitrus fruit from Italy.An exotic fruit that lookssomething like an orangeand lemon combined.Bergamot gained worldwide fameas one of the ingredientsof Earl Grey tea.\"Yes, of course!- Oh, of course it is!- \"Like lemon, the flesh is sour,while the fragrant juiceis its crowning glory.Used to flavour punches,teas and cocktails,gin and high quality vodkaare very good partners for it.Or as a base note in puddings and jellies.Believed to hold a widevariety of antisepticand antiviral properties- Which is why they put it in soap.- Bosh!We set it all up.- Yep.- The facts-- Backed us up.- knocked it out of the park.- Yeah.- Our review?- Whilst this may notbe your usual burger,Bergamot will add somethingfantastic to your dish.What?!That is the...- Please tell me that's a lemon!- Mike, I can confirm.This is a giant Cedro lemon from Italy.\"The Amalfi, or Cedro lemon,is a highly regarded lemon varietyoriginating from the southernsun-kissed coast of Italy.One of the richest citrus varieties,boasting a high count of ascorbic acid.The Cedro lemon is cultivatedin the picturesque Italianregion of Calabria.\"(Mike laughing)- Nice! I appreciateyou leaning into that.- Thank you.- Oh!- So pithy.- That is literally mostly pith.- It's sweeter and more fragrant.The pith or the peel of this lemonis what really sets it apart.Delicious eaten raw orshaved into zesty risottos.- Oh!- Oversized and virtually juice-less.Sounds like Ebbers.This lemon is used for itsthick pith and fragrant zest.Making perfect marmalades,candid fruits or liqueurs.- Why, it's really spongy.How's that? Oh, now I'm gonna try it.Oh, bitter. Bitter!(Jamie laughing)- It's really bitter.- That is delicious.- That is fantastic.- Oh, and there's not much.It's not very deep, is it?- No.- That is more acidic than the Bergamot.- Yeah, more acidic.It's got more of a bitethan a normal lemon flesh.No, there's more. It does go through.I've got some factsabout why we considerthem in season in winter.\"Because plants are stuckin one spot, unlike animalswho can migrate, tocombat low temperatures,the plants convert some ofthe starches into sugar,which works like an anti-freeze.\"- Oh, yeah.- So that's why thingslike beets, turnips, blackcarrots, taste sweeter in wintercompared to ones grown in summer,and it's why root vegetablesare more popular in winter.- That's why you should never buy parsnipsuntil the first frost.- Or, never buy parsnips atall, because they're horrible.- No, parsnips are amazing.They're like healthy chips.- Oh, God.- Bitter outside.- Yeah.- Spongy, juicy, soft pith.- Yeah- Sharp centre.- This is the one occasionwhere you should take the pith.- Great.- This was a lot of fun.- I loved it. It was brilliant.- We wanna know, though,have you had any of these fruits before?What do you think of them?Comment down below and let us know.- And, do you live in a place wheresome hyper seasonalworld's best fruit exists?If you do, let us knowin the comments belowand we'll get hold ofsome and try and try them.- We'll try and try them.\n"