English Heirlooms Tomatoes

KC.Sun · July 12, 2015

Hello everyone,

Can anyone tell me if they have grown any English heirlooms and what their favorite variety is?

(I'm trying to put together a gift packet of English heirlooms seeds. So anything helps.)

Thanks,

Sylvia

Labradors2 · July 12, 2015

My English favs were always Moneymaker and Alicante. Both are determinate saladette varieties.

As a Brit, these were the varieties that I grew up with, and they were available (both as plants and seeds) from Woolworths way back when, so if you are looking for a bit of nostalgia, I think that those two varieties might fit the bill.

Linda

**carolyn137** · July 12, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC.Sun

Hello everyone,

Can anyone tell me if they have grown any English heirlooms and what their favorite variety is?

(I'm trying to put together a gift packet of English heirlooms seeds. So anything helps.)

Thanks,

Sylvia

Sylvia I hope you don't mind my linking to your thread in the WANTED subforum, since I do think it will prevent duplication of what others might post in this thread since in the link below many English ones have been mentioned and seed sources given.

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...096#post489096

The definition of an heirloom variety is variable. Let's just say that in England it refers to tomato varieties bred commercialy roughly before 1940 and not to family heirlooms which have been passed down in families for several generations.

On my paternal side both male and female it is English all the way back as far as one can trace, I have that lineage that was sent to me and it goes back to the 1600 hundreds/

I've also traveled around England myself and it's well known the cuisine there is not tomato based and I can vouch for that.

Very few have glasshouses and the damp rainy cool temps are not the best for growing tomatoes inground or in containers.

My grandmother Male cooked lots of English foods she learned from her mother, who with her family came to the US in the late 1800's and my Gram lived in a home that was joined to ours, we ate there from time to time when she made something special and I can't remember her ever serving tomatoes/

Now mind you I was raised on a farm where we had many acres of tomatoes.

Carolyn

KC.Sun · July 12, 2015

Carolyn,

I don't mind you linking the post.

I didn't know that they defined heirloom tomatoes differently. This has actually been really fun, learning lots already. (Is there a book that talks about the history of tomatoes?)

I'm still working on the farm...or at least the idea. It would be fun to have one. Just for tomatoes and peppers

Sylvia

amideutch · July 13, 2015

This is a good one.

Ami

http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Cyril%27s_Choice

maf · July 13, 2015

Carolyn is right, there is not the rich tradition of heirloom tomato growing in England that there is in the US, mainly because of our climate. Most of the well known British varieties were bred commercially. The most succesful way to grow tomatoes over here is in a greenhouse and many of the ones bred here were targeted towards this method of growing.

(I have read through the Craigella thread btw.)

I grow mostly foreign tomatoes and crosses and have not experimented much with typically British varieties. Sad to say, but I started growing tomatoes to get those big fleshy varieties that are not typical for an English tomato.

Of the English varieties I have grown I would recommend First In The Field, a good tasting red salad tomato on indeterminate dwarf vines.

I haven't tried Cyril's Choice but if Ami recommends it, it has to be good! That one is on my wish list, and probably the closest the English come to the idea of traditional family heirlooms.

Labradors2 · July 13, 2015

Obviously, Carolyn has never enjoyed a traditional English breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon and fried tomato halves {LOL}. We even ate cooked tomatoes on toast sometimes, and we lived on tomatoes in salads during the summertime.

Linda

PaulF · July 13, 2015

On our last trip to England I paid special attention to the tomatoes being grown at the several Bed and Breakfast establishments where we stayed. All were grown in greenhouses and all varieties seemed to be smaller fruits and were the varieties commercially grown. I did see a couple of salad style and small sized tomatoes with names I recognized; seeds imported from the US.

At three of the B&Bs our hosts told me the full English breakfast was mostly eaten by tourists. While I enjoyed the meal, after a while it got to be too much so I switched to tea, toast and marmalade or jam.

Labradors2 · July 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulF

At three of the B&Bs our hosts told me the full English breakfast was mostly eaten by tourists. While I enjoyed the meal, after a while it got to be too much so I switched to tea, toast and marmalade or jam.

Whilst it's not something that one would want to eat every day, it's a meal that we still eat on weekends. Whenever we went back to visit, the guest houses all served it, but that was in the south of England - if that makes a difference. Everyone is cutting corners these days and it's much easier to serve toast than to prepare a decent meal.

The south of England gets the most sun and it is possible to grow tomatoes outside, but a lot easier if one has the luxury of a greenhouse!

**carolyn137** · July 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Labradors2

Obviously, Carolyn has never enjoyed a traditional English breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon and fried tomato halves {LOL}. We even ate cooked tomatoes on toast sometimes, and we lived on tomatoes in salads during the summertime.

Linda

Oh yes I have Linda, eating it and enjoying it are two different things in my mind and it doesn't speak to the fact that England does not have a tomato based cuisine.

Furthermore, I've even had Bubble and Squeak if that impresses you.

Don't forget what I think I posted in that other thread that my Grandmother Male cooked lots of English specialties she learned from her mother.

And I finally remembered where the Male family was from, as in Somersetshire, Kingsbury Episcopee. Middle Lambrook.

So there you go.

Carolyn, who genes also include ones inherited from a Druidic Priestess.

Labradors2 · July 13, 2015

Carolyn, I am indeed impressed that you have sampled Bubble and Squeak. Not too many people know about that particular English delicacy - ha ha! Neither do they know about fried bread for that matter, or bread and dripping which used to be so good for the cholesterol

.

Somerset is where the cider apples grow

.

Sorry to the OP for derailing the thread.

Linda

NarnianGarden · July 13, 2015

Interesting to hear about the English OP heirlooms, or the lack thereof. The English sure love gardening though... and aren't put off by challenges!

Recently I saw another strange tomato variety from a seed company Mr. Fothergill's, the tomato was called Pink Charmer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mr-Fotherg...item4d15cf4112

http://vegetalis.co.uk/products/toma...e/pink-charmer
Never heard of that one either...

**carolyn137** · July 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC.Sun

Carolyn,

I don't mind you linking the post.

I didn't know that they defined heirloom tomatoes differently. This has actually been really fun, learning lots already. (Is there a book that talks about the history of tomatoes?)

I'm still working on the farm...or at least the idea. It would be fun to have one. Just for tomatoes and peppers

Sylvia

Here is a book that explains the history of tomatoes and I have the book I'm going to link signed by the author, Andy Smith, whom I've known for ages.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Tomato-Ame.../dp/1570030006

I'd go for the paperback, used or new.

Carolyn

**carolyn137** · July 13, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

Interesting to hear about the English OP heirlooms, or the lack thereof. The English sure love gardening though... and aren't put off by challenges!

Recently I saw another strange tomato variety from a seed company Mr. Fothergill's, the tomato was called Pink Charmer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mr-Fotherg...item4d15cf4112

http://vegetalis.co.uk/products/toma...e/pink-charmer
Never heard of that one either...

Just last night I remembered that I used to get some seed from Fothergill's, and yes, some tomato sees as well, but when I pulled up that site I could not believe what had happened to it, in a bad way.

I think it was the father of the two sons who now run it I dealt with, and forget it when it comes to old English varieties and here's the beginning of the tomato offerings.

http://www.mr-fothergills.co.uk/s.nl#.VaQHUpt16bE

I think that e-bay offering is off the e-bay European site and seeds are not sent to the US.

Carolyn

NarnianGarden · July 13, 2015

You know, Carolyn: I should not even look, as I do not need any more tomato seeds, but I am a total sucker for pink varieties ...

When I am not a sucker for blacks, greens, and yellow ones

July 12, 2015	#1
KC.Sun Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: 6a Posts: 322	English Heirlooms Tomatoes Hello everyone, Can anyone tell me if they have grown any English heirlooms and what their favorite variety is? (I'm trying to put together a gift packet of English heirlooms seeds. So anything helps.) Thanks, Sylvia

July 13, 2015	#5
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	This is a good one. Ami http://t.tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Cyril%27s_Choice __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

July 13, 2015	#8
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,289	On our last trip to England I paid special attention to the tomatoes being grown at the several Bed and Breakfast establishments where we stayed. All were grown in greenhouses and all varieties seemed to be smaller fruits and were the varieties commercially grown. I did see a couple of salad style and small sized tomatoes with names I recognized; seeds imported from the US. At three of the B&Bs our hosts told me the full English breakfast was mostly eaten by tourists. While I enjoyed the meal, after a while it got to be too much so I switched to tea, toast and marmalade or jam. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

July 12, 2015	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,891	My English favs were always Moneymaker and Alicante. Both are determinate saladette varieties. As a Brit, these were the varieties that I grew up with, and they were available (both as plants and seeds) from Woolworths way back when, so if you are looking for a bit of nostalgia, I think that those two varieties might fit the bill. Linda

July 13, 2015	#6
maf Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: England Posts: 512	Carolyn is right, there is not the rich tradition of heirloom tomato growing in England that there is in the US, mainly because of our climate. Most of the well known British varieties were bred commercially. The most succesful way to grow tomatoes over here is in a greenhouse and many of the ones bred here were targeted towards this method of growing. (I have read through the Craigella thread btw.) I grow mostly foreign tomatoes and crosses and have not experimented much with typically British varieties. Sad to say, but I started growing tomatoes to get those big fleshy varieties that are not typical for an English tomato. Of the English varieties I have grown I would recommend First In The Field, a good tasting red salad tomato on indeterminate dwarf vines. I haven't tried Cyril's Choice but if Ami recommends it, it has to be good! That one is on my wish list, and probably the closest the English come to the idea of traditional family heirlooms.

July 13, 2015	#12
NarnianGarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Finland, EU Posts: 2,550	Interesting to hear about the English OP heirlooms, or the lack thereof. The English sure love gardening though... and aren't put off by challenges! Recently I saw another strange tomato variety from a seed company Mr. Fothergill's, the tomato was called Pink Charmer. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mr-Fotherg...item4d15cf4112 http://vegetalis.co.uk/products/toma...e/pink-charmer Never heard of that one either...