To ask why fruit is so tasteless?

[monroeagogo]

Strawberries again with no taste. Huge and look so juicy but absolutely tasteless.

Anyone else finding this with fruit in general?

Even British strawberries in season can taste crap. Also, soft fruit needs to be at room temperature, and if need be, add a flavour like a touch of balsamic, pepper or great basil. It’ll make them much more edible.

Yes English strawberries best in Wimbledon fortnight and Scottish strawberries a week or two later.

Seasonal fruit and veg is great

The varieties aren't picked on taste, it's a balancing act to get the reliable yield of attractive fruit and veg.

It's not tasteless.

I constantly have to tell my husband off for buying godawful Egyptian and Moroccan strawberries in winter. Why would you ever think that they would taste good? And even if they did, does that warrant all the CO2 emissions for flying them in?

His excuse is that he can’t be bothered cutting up bigger fruits.

Fruit is cultivated to be transportable - so that means a long life and pretty firm - it's not bred just for flavour

I will only buy strawberries in the summer and usually at markets where they are locally picked; super fresh, lovely and red with that real strawberry flavour. Absolutely despise buying shop brought strawberries at any other time they all taste like dish water.

The only fruit that is good is the one that is grown naturally (in season)and is at least semi ripe when picked. Not green crap that is picked all over the world to be flown to UK then treated with ethylene gas to ripen.

British berry fruit in summer, pears,plums and apples in autumn. Nice,sweet and juicy. All ripened naturally,not forced.

I miss decent fruit.

Do people keep apples etc in the fridge routinely? I wouldn't have room to do that, and biting into cold fruit is not pleasant (sensitive teeth, and it has more flavour at room temperature anyway). Our fruit goes in a bowl on the table. If there's more fruit in the house than will fit in the bowl, the excess goes in a cool place or if there's room I might put grapes and apples in the fridge for a couple of days, rarely any longer than that.

Try the stalls in laybys on the main arterial roads in the summer. Their fruit is often tasty. But good luck with getting back into the traffic stream on the A303 with your purchases.

Strawbies are only good from May...

Delish with cream and meringue

I think most soft fruits need to be ripened in the sun. Not sure how they grow them abroad but they are just tasteless. I'm lucky enough to live near Cheddar and only eat cheddar strawberries when in season. They are lovely.
I think apples now are also pretty bland but haven't found a nice supply yet

I think a lot of supermarket fruit and veg is a bit lacking, really. I get my seasonal fruit and vegetables from Riverford, they choose the varitieties they grow for flavour and you can really tell!

I find the easiest way to buy nice fruit is to look at the descriptions that Tesco put on their fruit. They then to use one or two adjectives and you have to read between the lines. If it doesn't say 'sweet' then it won't be sweet. So you're ok with something like " selected for their aromatic flavour and sweetness" but avoid "delicately flavoured" as it means "tastes of nothing".

Strawberries and pineapples need to be sniffed to see if they might taste of anything.

You need to get your fruit and veg from local markets or grow your own. You'll soon find out when they're in season and how good they can taste. Don't buy fruit from supermarkets.

I agree with PP that bigger strawberries more likely to be tasteless. I generally look for smaller darker ones at farmer’s markets in season. Even in season I find most supermarket fruit disappointing. Stone fruit even more than berries. Almost always under ripe on the shelves and goes mushy before it gets ripe (M&S has tended to be the exception).

It’s because it’s out of season. You should only buy British strawberries may - July. Asparagus in June etc.

They’re summer fruits; any you buy in winter will be imported from Spain. Spanish fruit often has no flavour and is being bred out of its natural season. Stick to eating seasonally and flavour will be better.

A caveat though - years of breeding fruit to be huge has come at the expense of flavour - if you want things to change write to the supermarkets and buy “heritage” varieties.

I love strawberries but only buy British strawberries in season (or pick them from the garden). The imported ones are tasteless.

I have made some nice smoothies with frozen strawberries.

Nowadays I find fruit only tastes good from waitrose or M&S.

@ButtockUp

Going against the grain here but for a few years now, I've felt that strawberries and cherries ( I live in Kent with an abundance of local producers flogging their 'garden of England' produce) are tasteless. It's been a while since I've eaten a decent Victoria plum either.

Peas in their pods aren't as nice as they used to be , the best come from Worcestershire.

I usually grow my own tomatoes, courgettes, peppers , beans and peas but , obviously they are seasonal.

Supermarket tomatoes are hideous with a very large , white central core and not enough flesh.
You really can't make a decent tomato sauce with English tomatoes any more.

Oh yeah I agree about Victoria plums. I love them but I've hardly seen them in the shops at all the last couple years. There was some English Marjorie Seedling last year but they're just not the same.

I’ve been saying this for ages particularly apples, Tesco are the worst culprits, even their so called sweet apples just taste like crunchy water.

We grow more ourselves now. Victoria & Marjories seedling plums, cherries, raspberries & blueberries.

I never have much luck growing strawberries though. Healthy plants but sod all fruit on them.

Apples we also grow but any I buy I only really but british cox apples. You can get them year round so there's never an excuse to be flying bloody apples from New Zealand.

90% of the strawberries I've bought in the UK have been tasteless. I have in recent years had some good ones from Waitrose though. I think the UK needs a fruit standards agency to ban the sales of dud fruit.

I also reckon about half of apples on sale should be banned for wasting consumers time and money.