Wimbledon's strawberry champion faces rivals for its crown

LONDON :It may be the top seed at Wimbledon but even the reigning king of strawberries knows the crown sits lightly. The Malling Centenary berry has reigned supreme since being introduced at The Championships in 2016, sweetening summer rituals and picnics alike at the All England Club. Yet in the fields and labs, a new crop of challengers is ripening. In the high-stakes world of soft fruit supremacy, flavour, firmness and fame are all up for grabs. The Malling Centenary variety is known for its sweetness, “heart-shaped” size, and quality of taste, according to Joe Furber, Food and Drinks Operations Manager at Wimbledon. Weeks of sunshine and a "bumper crop" in the UK have helped produce an excess of strawberries, meaning Furber expects around 2.5 million of them, or 5,000 tonnes, alongside 13,000 litres of cream to be consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight. This year, a portion of 10 Malling Centenary strawberries with cream costs two pounds and seventy pence ($3.70) after the ...