Taste test: sun-dried tomatoes

Tag : semi dried tomatoes


Look out for: tomatoes that aren’t over-dried or too chewy, but have aslightly waxy texture and strike a balance between acidity andfruity sweetness.

Guest panellist: Tristan Welch, head chef of Launceston Place, London W8 (020-79376912).

The top three
***** Merchant Gourmet Sun Dried Tomatoes in Oil, 270g, £1.81
There’s a massive depth of flavour to these. Saltiness,acidity, sweetness and sourness all ping around your mouth beforemelting away into an earthy fruitiness. Absolutely delicious.
**** Fruttibosco Sun Dry Tomatoes in Olive Oil, 280g, £4.46(Sainsbury’s)

A faint teabag aroma plus a beaten-up dried fruit texture willraise eyebrows, but the fiery pepper flavour and chilli kick morethan compensate.
**** Waitrose Sundried Tomatoes, 280g, £1.99
They look over-dried but taste light and fresh, with a few seedsadding a hint of bitterness. Fantastic for sauces.

And the rest…
*** Sacla Sun-Dried Tomato Antipasti, 280g, £2.29
No seeds, so there’s more of a sweetness to the tomatoes. Notbad, but they look a little dull… perhaps they’ve beenleft in the nondescript oil for some time.
** Inpa Sundried Tomatoes in Sunflower Seed Oil, 280g, £3.15

Long, thin and succulent but they are also very salty – it isas if they have been stored in a vinaigrette.
* Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Semi-dried Tomatoes inOlive Oil, 290g, £3.79
The miscellaneous dried herbs lend these the flavour of supermarketpasta sauce. And with no acidity, they quickly become a chore tochew.