How to freeze strawberries as a purée

Put your freezer setting onto Fast Freeze at least two hours before adding the strawberries or clear some space in the rapid freezing section/coldest part of your freezer. Freezing the strawberries quickly will help them retain as much of the flavour as possible.

• Wash your strawberries lightly by placing in a colander and rinsing under the cold tap for a few seconds.
• Hull the strawberries by pinching out the green stalk end. (It’s important to do this after washing so the strawberries don’t fill with water.)
• For every 250g strawberries that you are freezing, put 50g caster sugar and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice in a food processor or blender. (The strawberries can also be puréed without the sugar or lemon but a little sugar and added lemon juice helps maintain the colour and flavour of the fruit for longer.)
• Add the strawberries to the food processor or blender and blitz into a purée. Press through a fine plastic sieve if the seeds bother you.
• Divide the purée between small freezer-proof containers or freezer bags, leaving roughly 2.5cm headspace to allow for expansion.
• Label, cover or seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Fast freeze can be turned down once the strawberries are solid, this should take 2-3 hours.

How to defrost strawberry purée

Defrost the strawberry purée in its container in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours. Stir well and add to recipe as recommended, taking into account the added sugar.