Black, white and red all over

Currants come in three colours: red, white and black. Redcurrant bushes can be trained to grow in a cordon or a fan shape against a fence or trellis, in a sheltered spot in moist but welldrained heavy soil, and produce beautiful tart, scarlet berries. White currants grow in much the same conditions and are actually a sport or mutation of redcurrants, producing translucent berries with a more delicate flavour,

The growing requirements of all currant bushes are fairly similar, although blackcurrants tolerate heavier soils than their cousins and are therefore easiest to grow.
Blackcurrant bushes yield armfuls of sweet berries, packed full of vitamins and powerful antioxidants.

Plant out in November when the soil is still warm, so the bushes can develop a healthy root system, giving them a good head start in the springtime. Feed and water regularly and you could enjoy your first crop a year later, after which you can more or less leave them to their own devices (prune and mulch once a year, that’s it). Most currants start to ripen in mid summer and just one plant can provide a generous crop of up to 4kg (9lb) of fruit.

Blackcurrants have grown in the British Isles for over 500 years and were used by herbalists since the middle ages to treat a range of ailments, including kidney stones and liver disorders and it was blended into syrups for fighting coughs and colds.

Our homegrown varieties are particularly rich and dark in colour, especially those developed in the 1970s by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, such as Ben Lomond, Ben Tirran, Ben Hope and Ben Sarek. The darker they are the more anthocyanins they contain, which in turn promote antioxidant activity. Antioxidants, as we know, help fight against harmful free radicals. Not sure what a free radical is? They’re highly reactive, potentially damaging substances which are formed as a by-product of normal maintenance processes carried out by the body - a bit like undesirable fumes are a by-product
of running your car. Free radicals also enter our bodies froma number of other sources such as cigarette smoke, air pollution and radiation.

Blackcurrants contain more vitamin C than any other natural food source, as well as high concentrations of other beneficial nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamins A and B. Not only are they extremely good for you they are fantastic in jams, juices, yoghurts, pies, wines and ice cream, all of which can easily be made at home, or freeze them for use later in the year.

Commercial growers such as Jo Hilditch in Herefordshire have traditionally sent tons of their fruit to Ribena, who take a staggering 95 per cent of all British blackcurrant crops. With what remains she makes her award-winning alcoholicmixer, British Cassis. Lighter and less cloying than the traditional French crème de cassis, mix it with Champagne to create a Kir Royale or use it in a decadent sauce to accompany crispy duck breasts.

Edward Thompson, also based in Herefordshire, uses his crop tomake the Pixley Berries range of high fruit cordials. He recommends adding half a capful to a glass of dry white or sparking wine for a grown-up summer refresher with added zing.