'Kiwi-Sized' Strawberries Are Everywhere This Year – Here's Why, And What Do Do With Them

You know the little yellow specks on the outside of strawberries? Well, they aren’t seeds – most of us have never seen a strawberry “seed”, which actually lies inside those pips. This means the strawberry is not actually a berry. They’re technically “swollen receptacle tissue” instead. If you ask a UK-based strawberry grower this year, though, they’ll probably tell you that in 2025 the best descriptor for the (sort of) fruit is “bloody massive”.Speaking to The Guardian, Bartosz Pinkosz, an operations director at the Summer Berry Company, shared that he thinks the fruits are about 10-20% bigger than normal this season. “Some are supersized – growing to the size of plums or even kiwi fruits,” he said. He’s not alone. So why is this year’s bounty so bumper – and what should you do with the monstrous fruit?You guessed it – it’s likely climate change Though the prospect of huge, super-sweet strawberries sounds delightful, their growth has been tied to this year’s unseasonably dry, hot spring (set to be the least rainy on record). Climate Central has said that spring is the most rapidly warming month in the UK. This year’s weather has put us at “medium” risk of drought.It has also led to a bumper crop of strawberries. Pauline Goodall, a strawberry farmer from Limington in Somerset, told the BBC that the sun led to the berries “ripening at a phenomenal rate”.They are also markedly sweet this year; perhaps more of a notable change than their size, growers suggest. Still, the growing season doesn’t end ’til November. So, as managing director of Kent-based Hugh Lowe Farms, Marion Raegan, told the BBC, “all farmers could do with the rain, it would be nice”.So... what should I make with huge strawberries?These are not bland, watery berries, according to the people growing them.Therefore, there’s no need to mask them in sugar (as you would for a sorbet, coulis, or pie-filling recipe, which is better for fruit that’s a little lacklustre or past its prime). Instead, make them the star of the show. They’ll provide a refreshing topping for summer-friendly pavlovas, stun atop a strawberry tart, and make a cheesecake sing. There couldn’t be a stronger case for making a Wimbledon-adjacent Victoria sponge, either. The more savoury-loving folks among us will love them in salads with creamy walnuts and tangy feta cheese, too. But to be honest, I for one will be devouring them with nothing but a scoop of cream.Related...UK Gardeners Warned: Don’t Leave These Items On Your Lawn In A HeatwaveI Just Learned The Jam In Jammie Dodgers Isn't Raspberry Or Strawberry, And I'd Never Have Guessed The Real FruitThe Crucial Health Reason Behind Why You Shouldn’t Throw Out Strawberry Leaves

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