It’s cherry season in Europe and we went to Iberica to try dishes made with some special cherries from Spain now available in the UK.
Now we don’t want to undermine the British cherry market; right now the laybys in Kent are full of local producers with temporary stalls selling fresh cherries. Buy lots and eat lots, please.
At the same time though it’s worth seeking out other cherries and Jerte Picota cherries a little bit special and won’t be around for long.
Jerte Picota cherries are grown in the Jerte Valley, west of Madrid in the Extremadura region of Spain, which is an area of great natural beauty. They’ve been cultivated here since the 17th Century on mountains over 6,000 feet high, on fertile soil, watered by crystal-clear streams and in the purest air.
When they are perfectly ripen, they are hand-picked into chestnut baskets, following age-old traditions and the pickers sort them by hand on the spot at the base of the trees.
As a PDO product Jerte Picota cherries are handled under strict quality procedures and are grown, harvested and packed in a specific way to protect the PDO status.
You can spot a Jerte Picota because Picota means Peaked and the Jerte Picotas have a slight peak to the base. They are a lovely colour, like a great classic red wine.
Iberica’s chef seemed delighted to be using this rare product, first putting half a cherry into a glass of cava where the bubbles rose up bearing the aroma of the cherry.
The Picota cherries are available now in Tesco, Sainsbury’s or Morrisons. They will stop being stocked at the beginning of August. For some fabulous recipes, to keep you cherrying from breakfast to dessert, go to cerezadeljerte.org
For more information on Jerte Picotas PDO, also visit www.picota.co.uk