Tayberry

What it is

Tayberries are long and pointed, commonly about 3.3–5 cm (1.3–2 in) from end to end. Each berry holds a central plug that comes away with the fruit when picked. The flesh is juicy, combining the two parent fruits in a sweet-tart bite.

At Kenyon Hall Farm in Warrington, the soft, deep-purple berries are the sweetest picking stage. Firmer pink berries taste sharper. That difference matters whether the fruit is going straight into your mouth or into the jam pan.

Where it comes from

Tayberry began with a cross made in Dundee in 1969. Its blackberry parent, Aurora, came from Corvallis, Oregon; it was crossed with a raspberry bred in Scotland. The new fruit took its name from the River Tay.

It now grows well beyond Scotland, including on farms around British Columbia’s Saanich Peninsula and at a pick-your-own farm in England.

How it's eaten where it grows

At Kenyon Hall Farm, tayberry jam is made with just the berries and sugar. A cook on British Columbia’s Saanich Peninsula puts them into jam, pie, sorbet and shortcake. Cooking brings out the floral, wine-like side of the fruit, alongside its raspberry and blackberry flavours.

Jam keeps that summer flavour for later. The fruit also freezes well, another way to save some of a fresh picking for the kitchen.

How it's grown

Tayberries grow on canes, the long stems of a bramble, in a sunny position with soil that drains freely. Growers often spread and tie the canes into a fan. After those canes fruit, they die and are cut away; the new stems are kept for the following year’s crop.

When and where you'll find it

In Britain, tayberries are usually a July fruit. Kenyon Hall Farm had a crop ready in late June in 2018, offering both pick-your-own berries and punnets through its farm shop. Farm shops and picking farms are useful places to meet the fresh fruit; jam and frozen berries carry it beyond the picking season.