Fraises de Plougastel et d’ailleurs en Bretagne

With its jewel-studded red dress and heady scent, the strawberry is springtime’s great seductress. This star of the red fruit family is well and truly in the spotlight in Plougastel even though it thrives happily enough all over Brittany. A warning to the sweet-toothed: made-in-Breizh strawberries will sweep you off your feet!

In the blink of an eye

Where do strawberries grow in Brittany?

When people talk about strawberries, they’re thinking about Plougastel strawberries of course, even though the fruit finds soils well suited to its cultivation all over Brittany. As with many other products we believe are endemic, the strawberry first arrived in the holds of ships returning from long voyages. Jacques Cartier, the explorer from Saint-Malo who discovered Canada, was the first person to import strawberry plants. But history mainly recalls the essential role played by the naval engineer Amédée-François Frézier, who brought back five plants from a voyage to Chile in 1714. In Plougastel-Daoulas, they don’t grow just one but several varieties of strawberries. Ciflorette, Charlotte,Mara des Bois and above all Gariguette, are the most common. Even though many strawberry growers have now shifted to production in hanging (hydroponic) gardens, people still appreciate strawberries grown in the ground, which owe their flavour to the quality of the soil.

Tribute to the little fruit

Telling the peninsula’s story – a flavourful saga of red gold – and housing an extensive collection of Breton costumes, the Musée du Pays Plougastel strawberry museum is an “appetiser” before you set off on  the Strawberry Route. This tourist circuit takes small groups of visitors on half-day visits to the strawberry fields to meet producers.

When can you enjoy them?

A symbol of the arrival of summer, strawberries can be found on market stalls before the end of spring. Gariguette strawberries are the earliest variety, making their appearance in April, but take advantage of the harvest as quickly as you can as they’re only available until mid-July! A number of so-called “everbearing” varieties enable you to enjoy strawberries up until September or even October. The strawberry is an excellent source of antioxidants and is one of the fruits with the highest vitamin C content.

Did you know?

Every year on the second Sunday in June, the Plougastel Strawberry Festival celebrates the little red fruit through tastings, Breton music and float parades.

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Where can I buy strawberries direct from producers?

Our best addresses for enjoying  ground-grown strawberries in Plougastel:

At  Lapic Sivi, Aude and Benoit Cuzon produce organic ground-grown strawberries
Régis Pichon has been cultivating ground-grown Plougastel strawberries for over 20 years
La Ferme du Gouzoug’s strawberries and heirloom varieties of vegetables and fruits have been awarded the “Nature & Progrès” label
La Ferme de Ty-Neol  takes an eco-friendly approach to growing several varieties

Direct sale of strawberries :

Verger O’ty Fruits (organic), in La Bouexière near Rennes
Ty Fraise in Rédené, Finistère.

Strawberry-picking on the farm:

La Ferme du Goazio (organic) in Pommerit-le-Vicomte in the Trieux Valley
Les Jardins du Châtaignier (bio) in Corps-Nuds and Le Rheu Maraîchers near Rennes
Les Jardins de Kerlann in Muzillac, near Vannes
Les Jardins de Cilou (organic) in Cléguérec in central Brittany
Les Petits Fruits de la Baie in Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, near Cancale
Fraises Patrick Séché (sustainable agriculture) in La Baule

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How do you eat strawberries?

It’s hard not to succumb to the charms of sun-soaked freshly picked strawberries and the little fruit also inspires Breton craftspeople, much to the pleasure of foodies everywhere:

installed in the Brest region since 1923, Glaces Jampi is recognised by the Gault & Millau guide and makes Plougastel strawberry sorbets and ice creams.
Alain Chartier, MOF (France’s Best Craftsperson) and World Champion of Frozen Desserts, turns Plougastel strawberries into full-fruit jams and sorbets
La Cour d’Orgères, a Master Artisan Jam Maker based in Quiberon, creates delicious strawberry jams from original recipes.
Fisselier,the Plessis Distillery and the Warenghem Distillery all concentrate the fruit’s flavour in their Plougastel strawberry liqueurs

Strawberries in cosmetics too?

Nominoé exfoliating body balm with strawberry achenes will give you the softest skin possible
And we’ve fallen for Ma Kibbel’s sweet-scented shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and soap with Plougastel strawberries.

Handy hints

Choose fragrant, bright red strawberries with very green calyxes
Rather than keeping them in the fridge, which risks them losing their flavour, put them in a cool room, between 12 and 15°C.
Clean them with a damp cloth or rinse them quickly under cold water, but, most importantly, don’t leave them to soak.

Where can I enjoy strawberries in Brittany?

Nolwenn Le Corre, the starred chef at Hostellerie de la Pointe Saint-Mathieu, exalts Breton products in a fresher-than-fresh dessert: Ty Gwen strawberries and tangy seaweed, a milky, sea-salty combination evocative of the nearby sea.
Starred chef Olivier Bellin is a true lover of the Breton terroir and serves a buckwheat and strawberry- based dessert at the Auberge des Glazicks

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