Cherry and cocktail tomatoes are smaller varieties of tomatoes, from bite size to the size of a golf ball; they are sometimes oval in shape but mostly round. These tomatoes are usually very sweet, juicy and rich in flavour and are often found in supermarkets conveniently packaged and still on the truss. The best part about cherry and cocktail tomatoes is that they can be easily enjoyed whole.

They are great presentation wise as they are small and only need to be cut in half; perfectly displaying the lovely red insides.

Make sure you rinse before you eat, even if they have been packaged before purchase.

Simply cut these guys in half and serve. They look lovely on top of salads or tomato based pastas or as a professional finish to any dish.

Also try slicing a cross almost all the way through the tomato so it starts to open up into quarters. Place in a frying pan with a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper on a medium heat until starts to wrinkle and the tomato is soft inside.

Select tomatoes that are bright red in colour for immediate use. They should be slightly firm and lighter in colour if you want to keep them for longer. Also the tomatoes should have a good smell.
If the tomatoes are firm they should keep for longer, if they are soft you should eat them right away. Ripen them at room temperature until they turn bright red. Do not leave for too long or they will over ripen and turn soft and unpleasant.

Cherry and cocktail tomatoes are perfect to use in omelets, cut in half and slightly softened in the pan before the egg is added.

Work great in garden or Greek salads with cucumber, feta, olives and lettuce or eat them whole as a snack with salt, olive oil and basil.

Thread them on a kebab skewer and lightly pan fry or barbeque.

Smash pan fried tomatoes on toast with salt and pepper for a quick and healthy breakfast.