Expensive cherry tomatoes - your opinion

[Curviest]

Supermarkets now sell el cheapo bog standard cherry tomatoes, and expensive cherry tomatoes still attached to a bit of twig.

I was wondering how many mumsnetters bother to buy the expensive ones and whether you can really tell the difference in taste.

Thanks

[ShatnersBassoon]

I don't necessarily buy those with the vine still attached, but I do prefer tasty tomatoes, which tend to be the more expensive ones. The 50p for a huge bag cherry tomatoes are usually tasteless and spongy.

[MilkRunningOutAgain]

Tomatoes need to be a really deep red colour to have good taste, apart from the yellow varieties! I bought some cheapo ones at the weekend, basic round red ones, but they are tasty. Don't think the presence of a vine makes much difference. I buy expensive ones sometimes too!

[SqueegyBeckinheim]

I find the baby plum tomatoes have the best flavour.

[OurBlanche]

There are some very tasty cherry toms around, sadly they are more expensive. I pay the money when I find the nice ones, they are my preferred sweet treat and DH likes them too.

[tshirtsuntan]

The nicest ones we've had for ages are sunstream grilling tomatoes from lidl, they come in a package with little packs of salt and olive oil for grilling but they are so nice and tomatoey in salad I haven't tried them cooked.

[needanewjob]

I love tomatoes and will pay more for a decent flavour. Particularly like the variety packs where you get a mix of yellow and red. Cheaper bags do tend to be a bit tasteless

[JasperDamerel]

I bought a pack for a horrific £3 in Waitrose last week, and they were so delicious I've bought two packs since.

[TheSpottedZebra]

All taste is killed once they go in the fridge.
But at the moment, I'm liking lidl tomatoes - either the baby plum in the triangle packet, or the pack of red/yellow/black toms. Then I take them home and woe betide anyone who puts my tomatoes in the fridge.

[OurBlanche]

Tescos have similar, Jasper. 2 for £3 and they are very nice - Piccolo, Sugardrop and the other 2 are small and beautifully sweet/sharp. You really can taste the difference between them

[FreeButtonBee]

I store them in the fridge but always have a punnet out in the worktop. Ds1 and ds2 eat them with everything.

I buy the more expensive ones. If you can get Isle of Wight ones they are really yummy. Also for cooking, tinned cherry toms are brilliant when it's a quick cook dish rather than a summer for hours dish. Eg I do fish with chorizo and tomato and it is lovely with tinned cherry tomatoes and only average with chopped tomatoes.

[OurBlanche]

Oh yes! I forgot Lidl's tri pack - mainly because I ate it before we got home


They do taste very, very good!

[Branleuse]

tomatoes are one of the few vegetables worth paying extra for the extra special ones.

[Ifailed]

the vine is there to give off a tomatoy smell, does nothing for the flavour.

[Toomanycats99]

Definitely the baby plum tomatoes. Way better than plain cherry ones.

[eurochick]

I pay for the expensive ones on the vine. I recently bought a pack of "essential" cherry toms as they had sold out of the vine packs. Half ended up in the bin. They were not nice at all.

[Clayhead]

The Lidl tri-pack is amazing, I eat so many of them

[DubiousCredentials]

I only ever buy piccolo cherry tomatoes. They are firm and sweet and effing delicious.

All other tomatoes - MEH

[DubiousCredentials]

.....although I am tempted to try the Lidl tri-pack now.

[IHaveBrilloHair]

I like the pomodorino ones from sainbos

[Sgtmajormummy]

The vine bit helps to ripen the tomatoes once they've been picked as they suck out the moisture from the stalks. They also keep the authentic smell, as a PP said.

Having said that, you are paying for something that will just end up in the bin!
I buy cherry tomatoes for snacking, beef tomatoes for caprese, plum tomatoes for roasting, round tomatoes for mixed salads... Whatever looks best on the day.

[Trills]

Cheap cherry tomatoes are fine for pasta but not very nice for eating on their own.

[Scarydinosaurs]

I buy the expensive ones as they taste nicer. I also buy the cheap ones every now and then- but they're pretty tasteless.

[Curviest]

Thanks for all the replies. There seems to be a consensus that "special" toms do taste better, though if you buy from Lidl you don't have to pay so much for them.

What prompted my question was that I bought a huge cheapo box from Asda and found that by leaving them on the window cill not the fridge, and by halving them and sprinkling with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, they were fabulously delicious and I was glad Asda had subbed them for the posh ones.

[P1nkP0ppy]

Buy the cheapest and keep them out on the side, they'll ripen and be utterly delicious after a few days/a week later.
Don't waste your money on posh ones!

[Statelychangers]

I buy waitrose cherry tomatoes on the vine and they taste amazing - more like fruit - have tried them elsewhere but never as good.