Tomato Time at River Cottage

When tomato are in season, they’re impossible to ignore: bursting with colour, heavy with juice and full of potential. At River Cottage, they’re a summer and early autumn staple, grown organically in our gardens and used across our seasonal menus, cookery courses and feasts.

Whether you’re looking for fresh tomato recipes, growing your own, or choosing from a local market, this guide is here to help you cook with confidence and in season. And if it leaves you hungry to learn more about seasonal cooking, we’d love to welcome you to River Cottage for a hands-on cookery course or farm-to-table dining experience.

1. Know Your Season

Tomatoes are at their best in late July, August and September. Grown outdoors in healthy organic soil, they soak up the summer sun and reward us with real flavour. That’s why we only use fresh, seasonal tomatoes in our café and cookery school during this window. A supermarket tomato in January might look the part, but the taste rarely delivers.

Out of season?
Skip the imported tomatoes and try preserved alternatives like passata, dried tomatoes or homemade chutneys. Or learn to cook with the last of the green ones in early autumn.

2. Choose the Right Tomato for the Job

Tomatoes come in all shapes, sizes and textures. Choosing the right one can transform your cooking. Here’s how to get started.

Plum Tomatoes

Best for: sauces and soups
Meaty and low in juice, plum varieties like San Marzano are ideal for sauces. Their dense flesh makes them a favourite in our vegetable-based cookery courses, especially when we’re batch-roasting and preserving.
Tip: Roast with garlic and olive oil for an easy tomato sauce to freeze or enjoy immediately.

Beefsteak Tomatoes

Best for: salads and slicing
Big, juicy and deeply flavoured. We often use these in our cooking courses to show how a little seasoning and the right technique can turn a tomato into the star of the plate.
Tip: Salt slices generously and let them rest for 15 minutes before serving. It draws out the juices and brings out their natural sweetness.

Cherry and Grape Tomatoes

Best for: roasting and quick dishes
With their concentrated flavour and high sugar content, cherry tomatoes are ideal for fast traybakes or easy fresh tomato pasta recipes.
Tip: Roast them whole with anchovies, thyme and olive oil, then spoon over grains or grilled bread.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Best for: raw dishes and salads
Varieties like Green Zebra or Costoluto Fiorentino are firm favourites at River Cottage. Their diverse colours and flavours are ideal for showcase seasonal recipes and simple summer lunches.
Tip: Try them sliced thin, topped with herbs and a drizzle of oil. We serve versions of this in our River Cottage dining experiences during late summer.

Green (Unripe) Tomatoes

Best for: chutneys and preserving
Often harvested just before the first frost, green tomatoes shouldn’t be wasted. They’re ideal for green tomato chutney, a classic preserve we regularly make at the farm.
Tip: Try frying them in breadcrumbs or making a sweet-and-sour pickle.

3. How to Buy (or Pick) a Great Tomato

Whether you’re harvesting your own or buying from a market, here’s what to look for:

• Weight: A good tomato should feel heavy for its size
• Skin: Smooth, taut and free of wrinkles
• Aroma: Fragrant at the stem end, with a sweet, grassy smell
• Colour: Deep and consistent. Pale patches can indicate under-ripeness
• Don’t fear imperfections: Small cracks or scarring often come from careful water management and can be a sign of high-quality, flavourful tomatoes

Learning these small details is part of the learning in our cookery school, where we focus on how to select and cook seasonal produce with confidence.

4. Store and Prep with Care

• Don’t refrigerate: Cold dulls the flavour
• Ripen gently: Underripe tomatoes will improve on a sunny windowsill or in a paper bag with a ripe banana
• Store stem-side up: This prevents bruising

Salt before serving: Always salt raw tomatoes before eating. It draws out liquid and enhances flavour

5. Use Every Last One

Got a glut? You’re not alone. Here are a few River Cottage-approved ideas to make the most of them:

• Roast and blitz into sauce for freezing
• Dry in a low oven and store in oil
• Make tomato and chilli jam for winter cheeseboards
• Eat raw in rotating tomato salads with different herbs and dressings

We explore these methods and more in our seasonal vegetable courses, designed to help you waste less and cook more joyfully.

6. Support Local, Eat Better

A good tomato doesn’t come from a lorry. It comes from healthy soil, sunlight, and a bit of patience. At River Cottage, we grow ours organically and harvest them only when they’re ready. We encourage you to seek out tomatoes from your local farm shop or growers’ market, or grow your own, even on a windowsill.

Supporting local growers not only means better food, it helps build a more sustainable, connected food system. It’s part of our core ethos here on the farm, and something we share in in everything we offer here at River Cottage.

In Summary

Tomatoes are a seasonal treat, and one of the most versatile ingredients in your kitchen. Whether you’re planning a simple salad, a rich sauce, or a homemade chutney, knowing your tomatoes will help you cook more confidently.

Want to go further? Come join us at River Cottage. Learn how to cook with the seasons in our award-winning organic cookery school, or enjoy a farm-to-table feast where the tomatoes are freshly picked, perfectly seasoned, and served in good company.

It’s tomato time. We’d love to share it with you.