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The tradition of consuming strawberries and cream at Wimbledon is often attributed to King George V. He was an avid tennis fan and started the tradition of royal patronage at Wimbledon as early as the 1910’s. His son who became King George VI participated in the doubles event in the 1926 and was as frequent a visitor as his father. Queen Elizabeth II, the current head of the monarchy paid her most recent visit to the Championships in 2010, while Prince William and his wife Kate’s Monday visit to the tournament garnered intense interest.
Nevertheless according to a 2006 New York Times article, the royals can take no credit for the use of strawberries and cream as a snack between matches, with strawberries being a Wimbledon staple since the inception of the tournament in 1877. Wimbledon takes place at the height of the UK summer, which is typically the period during which strawberries are briefly available. Summer, strawberries and tennis have been a match made in heaven for more than a century now.
It is estimated that that in excess of 28 000 kilograms of strawberries and 7000 litres of cream will be consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight at £2.50 for a punnet consisting of a minimum of ten strawberries and a dollop cream.
If you aren’t lucky enough to be at Wimbledon, perhaps you can attempt to bake your own strawberry cupcakes. The ones pictured below are topped by cream infused with fresh strawberries. For the recipe or if you need some help with cooking dinner, check out the Pink Polka Dot Food Blog, online home to the creator of these stunning cupcakes. She is a recent Twitter convert, follow her here.
Strawberries and cream cupcakes
Strawberries and cream cupcakes
Schroeds 