The East India Company Strawberries Enrobed in White Chocolate

Did you know that a strawberry is not a berry? In fact, it’s an aggregate accessory fruit. For more on this, try Google.

Whilst wild strawberries were known in Europe from Roman times, it was the intrepid Spanish, vying with the Dutch, the Portuguese and of course the British on the high seas, who brought back a female strawberry Chilean species to Europe in the course of their conquering Chile in the 18th century.

This was the origin of the modern strawberry and it was the French who observed that large strawberries fruits were produced when the Chilean species was planted next to those from Europe, kicking off the whole science of plant breeding.
Today, we use fresh, whole plump strawberries and dehydrate them in a freeze-dryer. Strawberries of course are almost entirely made of water at 91% when fresh, which is why they are so refreshing.

The machine works by first freezing the strawberry to around minus 30 degrees celsius for about half a day, following by extraction of the water over a slightly longer period. The result is a freeze-dried strawberry that has retained its shape and colour and packs a more concentrated flavour punch.

Then our artisan chocolatiers delicately enrobe each strawberry in our fine Belgian White Chocolate, with a hint of vanilla.

The contrast of the tasty freeze-dried strawberry with the white chocolate richness makes for a lush delicacy, that will melt in the mouth.