Heritage Tomatoes
Most of our tomatoes are grown at Buttervilla by  Robert Hocking who has been evolving organic methods to produce the tastiest tomato on the planet!
Over the last 20 years Robert has grown many varieties and tried different growing methods to produce that extra special taste that sets us apart. He now thinks he has got it just about right but continues to seek out different heritage (aka heirloom) seeds to test grow.
We grow several varieties using heritage seeds, they are for sure, generally much tastier but don't crop as well as the modern commercial varieties and have a shorter shelf life, but for us taste comes first. Some, like the Gardeners Delight, have thin skins and soft flesh and because we pick only when fully ripe, they have a limited shelf life. Thankfully our chefs don't need fruits that are destined to sit in the fridge for weeks on end, they want to get them on the plate in the shortest possible time.
The trick is to use organic growing methods that enhance the taste. We grow our plants in lots of compost that has been maturing for at least a couple of years, add wood ash, seaweed meal, water them only with pure spring water, which has none of the chemicals associated with mains water and adds to the beautifully clean lingering flavours of our produce. We let the fruit fully ripen before we pick and deliver as quickly as possible, so its takes just hours to go from fork to fork. Its these methods that produce the tastes and freshness that our chef's rave about. |
2012 Heirloom Tomato - Limited Quantities
14 Varieties, 14 sizes, 14 colours, 14 textures, 14 super tastes
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 Black Krim
Originally from the Isle of Krim on the Black Sea in the former Soviet Union. This rare, and outstanding tomato yields 7-10cm slightly flattened dark-red (mahogany coloured) slightly maroon, beefsteak tomatoes with deep green shoulders. Green gel around seeds. Fantastic, intense, slightly salty taste. Perfect choice for slicing, salads and cooking |
 Paul Robeson
Seed for this Russian heirloom was made available by Marina Danilenko, a Moscow seeds-woman. This favourite tomato was named after the operatic artist who won acclaim as an advocate of equal rights for Blacks. His artistry was admired world-wide, especially in the Soviet Union. This "black" beefsteak tomato is slightly flattened, round, and grows to 10cm. It’s deep, rich colours stand it apart from others…a dusky, dark-red, with dark-green shoulders, and red flesh in it’s centre. Very flavourful fruits with luscious, earthy, exotic flavours and good acid/sweet balance. |
 Cherokee Chocolate
Craig LeHoullier stabilized this rogue heirloom originating from the popular old heirloom from Tennessee, Cherokee Purple. This 10cm beefsteak variety has developed a great following among celebrity chefs because of its exceptionally rich tomato flavours and wonderful chocolate mahogany colour. |
 Brandywine Black
This is a purple-maroon coloured version of the famous super tasty Brandywine tomato. The fruits have the same luscious flavour combined with the richness of a black tomato. They have a flattened beefsteak shape and weigh around 350-500gm. |
 Cherokee Purple
Heirloom from Tennessee originally cultivated by Native American Cherokee Indians. Produces a dusky rose to purple coloured large beefsteak tomato with deep red colours to the interior flesh and dark shoulders. A very popular with New York's best chefs because of it's rich, complex and sweet flavour. One of the best tasting heirloom tomatoes |
 Gardener's Delight
Also known as Sugar Lump, these delicious red cherries are loaded with sugary sweet flavours. Its been our mainstay for several years as it produces a thin skinned, super tasty fruit with an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity. Our favourite allrounder. |
 Italian Tree
5cm red tomatoes with superior sweet flavours perfectly balanced with just the right amount of acid to make it shout, "Now that's old-fashioned tomato flavour!" A first time variety for us in 2011. |
 Sasha Altai
An excellent variety from Russia. Seeds were given to Bill McDorman when in Irkutsk, Siberia in 1989, by his dear Siberian friend Sasha who claimed this variety that he grew in his garden in the Altai Shan mountain range was the "best tomato in all of Siberia." Thin-skinned, bright-red, slightly flattened, round tomatoes with an award-winning complex flavour. |
 Earl of Edgecumbe
When the 6th Earl of Edgecumbe died in the 1960's, the heir to the title of 7th Earl was a relative in New Zealand who was a sheep farmer at the time. When he travelled to England to claim the title, he brought seeds back to Cornwall reuniting the plant with its original home. We found these seeds in California, bringing them home for a second time. The fruits are smooth 6-8 cm round, beautiful orange globes, typically borne in clusters of two or more. Flesh is firm, meaty and exceptionally flavourful. Edgecumbe estate is just 7 miles from Buttervilla. |
 Livingston's Golden Ball
This variety produces golden yellow tomatoes the shape and size of a golf ball. The fruits have firm flesh, few seeds and an excellent flavour. It has a fruity aroma and a nice thin skin. It is meaty with a nice acidity, leaving a little sting on the tip of the tongue and a long lingering finish. This heirloom was introduced by Alexander Livingston, one of the greatest tomato seedsmen of the 19th century in the USA. |
 Blondkopfchen
An heirloom tomato from eastern Germany. The name of this adorable heirloom cherry tomato means "little blonde girl". Clusters of 20-30 extremely tasty, tiny yellow (2 cm.) tomatoes. Very little cracking for a cherry. These are great dehydrated, like raisins and sprinkled in salads . Blondkopfchen is undoubtedly one of the best tasting cherry tomatoes. Deliciously sweet with a slight citrus tart finish. |
 Lollipop
2-3 cm almost translucent, creamy, yellow cherry tomatoes in clusters of 6-10, that hang on the plants like lollipops and have unique, fruity-sweet, lemony flavours unlike other cherry tomatoes. |
 Beam's Yellow Pear
1 1/2-inch, bright yellow, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes that fruit until the first frost. They are zesty sweet and delicious. A famous pre-1800's tomato that has been documented as being very high in vitamins |
 Dorothy Green
The large, beefsteak-type tomatoes are chartreuse green, with a little pink, when fully ripe. The flesh is emerald-green. The excellent flavour is a combination of sweetness and tartness with spicy overtones. The slightly flattened large fruits may reach 500gm. Another heirloom variety originally from the USA |
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Strawberries
 We grow a range of organic soft fruits which have been selected because they taste great. Gariguette strawberries plants were imported from France because they simply are the best tasting we could source and also a heritage variety.
Remembering trips we took to France, where the strawberries seemed to taste so good, we decided to research French varieties and came up with the Gariguette, it again has its downside, as it has a short shelf life, but for us when we hear that mentioned it now automatically alerts us to the usual fact that short shelf life, heritage variety and small crops mean exceptional taste compared to most of the modern hybrid varieties which are grown primarily for supermarkets who of course require a long shelf life.
Gariguette, mara des bois and red soverign are some the strawberries that are available in limited quantities. Each year we plant more but being micro hand-grown business means there is never enough to meet demand. The recent poor summers have not been helpful but hopefully 2011 will be a scorcher and this should boost production.
Rose Prince the Telegraph's food writer dishes up a tasty dessert using Buttervilla gariguette strawberries. Read the article here |
We Also Grow -
Raspberries - Blackcurrants - Gooseberries - Blueberries - Rhubarb - Apples - Plus a few rare fruits. |
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