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At Yorkshire Appetite, we love to see what foods are in season and how we might enjoy them. August is the time for gooseberries and while you may not think about enjoying a punnet of them in their raw form, you cannot deny they are a flavoursome fruit. A gooseberry bush is often happily enjoying itself in a Yorkshire garden along with their rhubarb cousins. These small, tart berries are known for their unique flavour and are very popular in desserts, jams and pies and, more recently, gin! Yorkshire has a long history of gooseberry cultivation with annual gooseberry shows and competitions held in the region. The gooseberry was one of the first fruits to be cultivated commercially and in their heyday there were hundreds of varieties.  However in 1905, the accidental introduction of a mildew disease from America wiped out many of the British specialities.

The first cultivation of gooseberries in England was recorded in 1276 but they didn’t become popular until the 19th century when ‘gooseberry clubs’ sprung up across the UK with their members competing to grow the heaviest fruit.  In 1845 there were 171 separate gooseberry shows and while that number has shrunk substantially of course gooseberry shows run by the clubs are still a thing.  In the Yorkshire hamlet of Eaton Bridge near Whitby, the Old Gooseberry Society holds an annual gooseberry competition, which has been active since 1823, with some very strict handwritten rules. The competition has only been cancelled twice in its history; once for the Foot and Mouth Outbreak in 2001 and once for the Pandemic in 2020.

Two dozen or so individual growers are invited to arrive with their gooseberries in the morning, most using egg trays to transport their prize hopefuls. One grower was left disappointed after arriving minutes after the midday cut-off point and faced disqualification. Rules are rules! One hundred berries were weighed in total. In 2022 Bryan Nellist’s white gooseberry won the growers’ prize by a fraction of a gram and results were decided in a ‘berry-off’ between his white gooseberry – of a variety known as Belmarsh – and its rival. Nellist had won his first title in the world of gooseberry competitions in 1997 and has broken several world records. The current world record was set in 2013 when the heaviest gooseberry weighed 64.49 grams – about the size of a large hen’s egg.

If you want to taste these little darlings this August, then we suggest:

Slingbys Gooseberry Gin   A blend of Harrogate's renowned aquifer water with pure grain spirit and local botanicals. Yorkshire gooseberries add a tangy sharpness balanced by fruity sweetness, all while preserving the citrus notes of their award-winning London Dry Gin.

Gooseberry and Elderflower Jam by Raydale Preserves   A delightful blend of tart gooseberries and fragrant elderflower, creating a unique spread that's both tangy and floral.  It's like capturing the essence of an English summer in a jar—bright, fresh, and just the right amount of sweetness.

Or have a go at your own with this recipe

Gooseberry and Elderflower Crumble

Two little goosegob facts before we go – their name; nothing to do with geese. It comes from the Old Norman ‘grosier’, which came from ‘groseille’, French for redcurrant. AND……‘gooseberry’ was one of many historic names for the devil and this is thought to be why a third person accompanying a romantic couple is known as a gooseberry.  Now you know and can amaze your friends!