Some of the best berries to eat are grown in the UK. They are often full of vitamins and contain other benefits, such as fibre. Many meals for two feature various types of berries, and you can often interchange them, such as switching raspberries for strawberries, making them versatile. Find out more about the types of berries most common in Britain today and how to incorporate more of them into home cooking.
Common types of berries used in home cooking
There are many types of berries you can cook with, but not all of them are suited to the same types of dishes. If you are looking for kid-friendly recipes, for example, then you might want to stick to the sweeter berries, while those with a tarter flavour profile will often suit a more sophisticated palete. That said, you can use them however you like, and using more than one type sometimes allows you to control the flavour of the dish you're preparing.
The best types of berries for sweet desserts
If you are looking for types of berry fruit for a dessert, then these are the go-to options:
- Strawberries – With many types of strawberries to choose from, there will be a suitable option for all sorts of desserts, covering anything from traditional strawberries with cream to Eton mess or strawberry pavlova.
- Mulberries – A deliciously sweet type of berry with an almost honey-like quality, mulberries give a jammy flavour when cooked in pies or tarts. Mulberry bread and butter pudding is very tasty, but you can also use these berries in trifles effectively.
- Blueberries – These types of berries are used in many desserts, including muffins and cheesecakes, because they look distinctive and taste great with other sweet ingredients.
- Marionberries – Less well-known in the UK, marionberry pie is popular in the USA. They have a rich and complex taste which makes them ideal as an ice-cream or sorbet flavour, too.
Types of berry fruit which pack in flavour
When making a compote, jam or confit, you might want to choose types of berries that have some acidity to even out their sweetness. If so, these are all excellent choices:
- Raspberries – Although widely used in desserts, raspberries offer a depth of flavour that makes them perfect for coulis and layered, grown-up desserts.
- Blackberries – Tasty when cooked in a crumble with cooking apples, blackberries retain their tartness even after being baked.
- Gooseberries – Ideal for fools or chutneys, gooseberries have a citrus-like quality that makes them a tasty option in a variety of dishes.
- Cranberries – A staple of Christmas lunches, cranberries are very tart indeed, often requiring the addition of a little sugar when they are made into a jelly or a sauce.
Recipe ideas for different types of berries
With so many fruit recipes to choose from, picking out ones that feature berries isn't always easy. This tasty fig & berry yoghurt constitutes one of the simplest ways to enjoy a tart berry in a quick-to-prepare dessert or breakfast dish. Another idea for the first meal of the day is this yummy pink berry breakfast parfait dish, which adults and kids will all enjoy.
There again, if you want to up your game in terms of dessert cooking, then try out this recipe for blueberry & berry compote puff pastry pies. It's the very thing for a family celebration meal or when you've got guests around whom you want to impress!
What makes berries distinct from other fruits?
Size and sweetness don't come into it from a botanical perspective when distinguishing the various types of berries available today from other fruits. Botanically speaking, berries develop from one flower each and have a fleshy structure without pips or a kernel in the middle.
Some culinary berries aren't true berries, such as strawberries and blackberries, while other fruits like bananas, grapes and tomatoes are. Therefore, from a culinary perspective, the term berry usually means a small, fleshy and deliciously sweet fruit with a bit of tart.
Types of Berries FAQs
What are the rarest berries?
Cloudberries are among the rarest types of berry fruit. They only grow in the north in places like Canada and Scandinavia. Native to West Africa, so-called miracle berries are also rare, especially in the UK. They're famous for altering taste perception after being consumed.
Is pineapple a berry?
When different types of berries are listed, pineapples often don't appear, but they are berries or – more accurately – a cluster of berries. Whole pineapples consist of over a hundred berries that have fused together into one whole fruit. The diamond pattern on the outside denotes the berries: each diamond represents one berry.
Which is the best berry to eat?
The best types of berries to eat are a matter of personal opinion. For many, the various types of strawberries that are cultivated in the UK are the best, offering a summertime delight of bright colours and sweet flavours. Blueberries are also very popular with a tangy flavour. Raspberries are among the most popular, too, with a superb blend of sweetness and tartness.
What are the four main berries?
In the UK, the four main seasonal berries are strawberries, available in the British summer; raspberries, which come into season in late summer; blackberries, which ripen in early autumn; and blueberries, which can be cropped anytime from May to September, depending on growing conditions.
What is the most famous berry?
Considered by many around the world to be the best berries to eat, strawberries are popular in many culinary traditions. They're popular in North and South America, as well as Japan, Australia and Europe. No other type of berry has this almost universal appeal. What's more, there are several types of strawberries to enjoy, not just one variety.