With summer upon us thoughts turn to strawberries, usually accompanied by generous dollops of cream and you don’t need an excuse to indulge in what must be the quintessential English summer fruit.

Hampshire has always been known for its strawberry growing, thanks to its soil type and mild, sunny climate, but the fruit wasn’t produced commercially in the area until the 18th century.

By Victorian times, the strawberry industry was well established and strawberries were a popular crop for smallholders.

They could obtain a good crop for relatively little outlay, getting a financial return.

Cheap migrant labour solved the problem of picking the fruit and the advent of the railway and, later, motor vehicles meant that crops could easily be transported to cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester and even Glasgow.

But by the middle of the 20th century, strawberry growing had declined as a result of the effects of the Second World War, more expensive and scarcer labour and the competition for land from house building.

Fortunately, pockets of production survived and today the fruit produced in the county remains among the best in the world.

For anyone wanting to try delicious Hampshire strawberries, Newlyns Farm Shop in North Warnborough, near Hook, offers fruit as fresh as any you could pick in your garden.

Shop owner Judy Janaway says they get their strawberries from Bourne Valley Pick Your Own near Andover. The fruit can be picked and in the shop in around one hour.

“At the moment, we are selling a variety called Symphony, but the types vary throughout the summer,” said Judy. “The season runs from early June through to August, and we sell the different varieties as each one ripens.

“This way, we can continue to stock all through the summer. So far, this year has been a good one for strawberries because it hasn’t been too wet or too hot. The growing conditions have been excellent.”

You won’t find forced, imported strawberries in the Newlyns shop and, as a result, the fruit is sold in top condition and packed full of sweetness and flavour.

“The varieties grown are all selected for their taste as well as their yield,” continued Jane. “By contrast, imported strawberries in supermarkets are chosen primarily to look good.

“They’re picked when they’re not ripe, then chilled and transported for hundreds of miles, so it isn’t surprising that they’re bland and lacking in flavour.”

To keep everything local, Jane suggests combining the strawberries with cream from Daisy’s Dairy, which is based in nearby Rotherwick.

“They produce their milk and cream the traditional way,” Jane said. “So what could be nicer on a summer’s day than wonderful Hampshire strawberries with some delicious Hampshire cream?”

Strawberry shortcake

For the shortcake:

3oz unsalted butter
1oz caster sugar
8oz self raising flour
1 egg
½ tsp salt
3-4 tbsp milk

For the filling:
425ml/¾pt double cream
1 vanilla pod
3tbsp icing sugar sieved
1lb fresh strawberries

To make the shortcake, heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl. Rub in the butter, add the sugar and mix.

Beat the egg into the milk and gradually add this to the flour to make a soft but not sticky dough — add a little more flour if the mixture becomes too wet.

Divide the dough in two and roll out on a floured board to about half an inch in thickness.

To obtain a round shape use a flan tin or the outside of a spring-form cake tin as a template and cut round the edge.

Prick the surface of the dough with a fork to make a pattern.

Chill the dough for 30 minutes and then bake on a baking sheet for around 20 minutes until golden, but do not brown. Allow to cool.

For the filling, pour the cream into a large bowl. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the cream.

Add the icing sugar and whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.

To assemble, place one shortcake on a plate and spread half the cream mixture over.

Cover this with halved strawberries and spread the remaining cream on top.

Finally, place the other shortcake on top of this. Decorate with any remaining strawberries and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Serve straight away.