Having made her historic speech at Dublin Castle – complete with the cúpla focal that so impressed President Mary McAleese – Queen Elizabeth II could finally relax, take off her glasses, put away her notes and sit down to a well-deserved helping of dessert. Meanwhile, back in Stamullen, Co Meath, Pat Clarke of Clarke’s Fresh Fruit had the contented glow of a man who knew that the strawberries being served to Her Majesty, assembled dignitaries and guests at such a significant occasion had been harvested by hand the previous day on his family farm. “It was a great honour that it was our strawberries being used at her big banquet in Dublin Castle. For us, having strawberries fit for a queen is as good as it comes,” says Pat, remembering the events of that momentous day. (If Charles and Camilla ever make it over to Ireland for a future state visit, there will, no doubt, be a bowl of Clarke’s strawberries waiting for them in some suitably fine china, perhaps with a silver jug of fresh cream on the side.) Pat began his illustrious career in the fruit business as a 12-year-old, simply looking to earn a few extra shillings over those long, hot halcyon summers of yesteryear. “In my younger days, everybody in this area had a small fruit yard to supplement their income. I would have picked fruit to earn pocket money, and then I decided to plant my own. Today, we trade as Clarke’s Fresh Fruit, and we have been in business for over 50 years.”

The pick of the crop

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Green to Red Strawberries ripening on Pat Clarke’s farm Stamullen, Co Meath

A strawberry is a fruit that needs to be firm but not too firm and soft but not too soft. It needs firmness to keep its shape and yet it has to be soft and yielding when bitten into. The key to this is the ripeness of the fruit

For over 50 years, Pat Clarke and his team have been producing hand-harvested strawberries that have been enjoyed by royalty, presidents and heads of state from his family farm

1. To make the pastry, place the flour, butter, sugar and salt into a food processor and blend for 20 seconds. Add the egg, milk and lemon zest and blend again just until the pastry comes together – do not overwork the dough or the pastry will be tough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hour. 2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). 3. Roll the pastry out thinly on a lightly floured work surface. Transfer the pastry to a 23cm (9in) fluted loose bottomed flat tin ensuring the pastry is pushed into the edges of the tin. Transfer to the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up. 4. Remove the tart tin from the freezer. Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans or rice. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the pastry is firm, then remove the beans or rice and cook for about 5 minutes more, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Irish Strawberry & Lemon Tart

Pat, who Neven Maguire has described as “one of my food heroes”, has been cultivating the finest strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries on his farm near the Delvin River for several decades. Originally a Mayo man but living in Co Meath for over 60 years, he began his fruit-growing journey with two types of strawberry that were ubiquitous at the time: the Cambridge and the Talisman. In 1983, he was the first person in Ireland to introduce a new variety called Elsanta. “It took nearly 30 years before that was superseded by the Malling Centenary.” Today, nearly every grower in the country cultivates Malling Centenary strawberries. It is what is called a June-bearer. June-bearers and ever-bearers are the two most commonly grown types of strawberries, as Pat explains. “Ever-bearers – their season will be for around six months of the year… The June-bearers’ will be roughly for about six weeks. So, you will continuously be growing plants, every three weeks, to have a steady supply.” Husbandry and planning are crucial in keeping those ripe strawberries on the shelves. As one section of the farm is being harvested, another is being planted or the fruit is beginning to ripen. And so it continues, cyclically, to keep up with demand. “We have a long-established management structure. Our goal is to provide quality foods and to protect the natural resources. We have 75 acres of food under cover, mostly strawberries and blackberries, scientifically designed in ‘cosy tunnels’.” (‘Cosy tunnels’ are the arched polytunnels used to cover the fruit and are vital to helping them grow and protecting the plants, especially from snow and ground frost in winter.) Being a summer fruit, the peak of production is from May to November when roughly 170 people are employed. The farm doesn’t grow anything in December and January when they are planning for the following season. A strawberry is a fruit that needs to be firm but not too firm and soft but not too soft. It needs firmness to keep its shape and yet it has to be soft and yielding when bitten into. The key to this is the ripeness of the fruit. When a row is ready to be reaped, the method of harvesting is as important as how the strawberries are grown in the first place. “There are two types of picking: ‘snap picking’ and ‘stem picking’, and we have always used ‘stem picking’. The reason for that is you don’t damage any of the fruit... the berry isn’t handled at all. It’s a soft fruit and it needs to be handled carefully.” The policy is to pick, pack and dispatch on the same day. The strawberries gathered early in the morning will be on the supermarket shelves around the country that evening or first thing the next day. “You’re getting your food really fresh and that’s the way it should be,” insists Pat.

Clarke’s are delighted to have been supplying Dunnes Stores for more than 30 years. “And now our King berries have been chosen for the Simply Better range. These berries are carefully selected, they’re stem-picked, they’re in prime condition – graded and delivered on the same day. This is a fantastic honour for us to be chosen for that range.” Those same Simply Better Irish King Strawberries are the main ingredient in the recipe for Neven Maguire’s zesty and delicious Irish Strawberry & Lemon Tart, below, and they are some of the finest produced at Pat’s farm. “There really is no better. There’s not a blemish on those berries because they are so carefully handled”. That commitment to rigorous standards and sustainability comes with recognition from the various food boards. “We are Bord Bia Quality-assured and we hold a GLOBALG.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practices) accreditation through strict auditing, which is essential to maintain food safety. It’s great in this country – we have a very high standard of quality.” Part of the process sees the stems, stalks and other waste from the plants composted and put back into the nutrient-rich soil to enhance its quality. The farmland itself is encircled by trees and hedgerows - home to a variety of birds, bees, butterflies and other insects that make up this vital food chain. There’s even an owl box on the farm to encourage the owl population of Co Meath to take up residence. Those nocturnal birds earn their keep by acting as lookouts over the whole operation in the evenings, swooping down on any mice that might wander across the fields. It’s all one big cycle of planting, growth and regeneration.

INGREDIENTS

5. Whip the jersey cream in a bowl until you achieve soft peaks then fold in the lemon curd. Pour the lemon cream into the cooled pastry. Arrange the sliced strawberries on top and scatter over the pistachio nuts. 6. Warm the apricot jam in a saucepan and brush over the sliced strawberries. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Strawberry feels forever

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See Neven Maguire’s Irish Strawberry & Lemon Tart recipe

REGALLY RIPE FRUIT

500ml Simply Better Single Source Irish Jersey Cream 1 Jar Simply Better Sicilian Lemon Curd 250g Simply Better Irish King Strawberries, sliced 2 Tbsp. apricot jam 50g pistachios

SERVES

PREP TIME

BAKE TIME

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See Neven Maguire’s Irish Strawberry & Lemon Tart recipe

A fruitful encounter Chef Neven Maguire (left) with Pat Clarke in a 'cosy tunnel'

Like a tomato (or a fine bottle of Côtes du Rhône), strawberries, according to Pat, taste better when allowed to breathe. “We like to eat them fresh, that’s number one. Number two, if you have to put them in the fridge, eat them at room temperature – always at room temperature.” So, if you’re having strawberries for dessert after your Sunday roast, remember to take them out of the fridge in good time for optimum flavour. And it’s not just Queen Elizabeth II who had a hankering for Clarke’s produce. The current incumbent of Áras an Uachtaráin, President Michael D Higgins, and his wife, Sabina, get a portion of their five a day from Pat’s farm too. Clarke’s has been supplying the Áras with strawberries for many years now and continues to do so. As for the future, Clarke’s has several products in the pipeline, including a smoothie that looks “very promising”, as well as other innovations to market. The combination of old school knowledge and modern technology seems to be working so far. The farm is in safe hands, and as Pat says, “we have a growing family that certainly will be taking over the business. Clarke’s is going to continue… We are growing the most wholesome and flavoursome fresh Irish strawberries. That’s what Clarke’s are all about.” So, if you’re looking for fresh fruit fit for a king, queen, president or head of state, keep an eye out for those punnets with the Simply Better logo at your local Dunnes Stores.

The presidential sweet

METHOD

175g plain flour 100g butter, diced and chilled 50g caster sugar Pinch of salt 1 Simply Better Free Range Corn Fed Egg ½ Tbsp. Simply Better Organic Irish Jersey Milk Zest of ½ lemon

For the sweet shortcrust pastry