La Carmela - Cherry Tomatoes (400g)

Cherry tomatoes have earned a bad reputation through overexposure to the mass-produced version - grown quickly under glass, picked before they're ready, with a flavour that's thin and watery. It has made people forget what a properly grown, properly ripened cherry tomato actually tastes like.

La Carmela's canned cherries are the reminder. Grown in Campania on volcanic soils that have been producing exceptional tomatoes for generations, these are packed at peak ripeness in their own liquor - thick, sweet, and deeply coloured. The difference is obvious before you've even started cooking.

Cherry tomatoes have a particular sweetness-to-acidity balance that San Marzanos don't. They're fruitier, lighter, and more versatile across different types of dishes. They hold their shape through shorter cooking times, making them ideal for quick sauces. But they also give way beautifully in longer preparations, releasing concentrated juice into the dish as they soften.

The skin-to-flesh ratio gives cherry tomatoes their characteristic burst - slightly sticky, intensely flavoured, with a pleasantly sweet finish. La Carmela's canned version delivers all of that, plus a packing liquid that is worth building a sauce from directly.

For a quick weeknight dinner, these are done in twenty minutes. For something more considered - a slow fish stew, a baked pasta, shakshuka with eggs poached directly in the sauce - they reward the extra time and more than hold their own.

Best for: Cherry tomato pasta, seafood dishes, roasted chicken, shakshuka, baked eggs, roasted tomato sides, and any dish calling for a brighter, sweeter tomato note.