Some things just mean summer in Britain. The first evening warm enough to eat outside. The smell of cut grass. And somewhere in the background, the thock of a tennis ball on a grass court, with a bowl of strawberries close by.

Strawberries and tennis go together. Late June rolls around, the grass court tennis starts, the strawberries hit their best, and for a couple of weeks the whole country seems to agree this is what summer should taste like.

We’ve been turning English fruit into something worth raising a glass to for over thirty years, so this is very much our season. Here are three strawberry drinks we’d happily pour for a garden party, a picnic, or an afternoon in front of the tennis.

Why strawberries mean summer

Mostly it’s timing. British strawberries peak from late June through July. Right when the weather turns and the garden fills up with people. They’re ripe exactly when we most want to be sitting outside.

The rest is nostalgia. The village fête, the cricket tea, a bowl of berries and cream on a rug while the tennis plays. Strawberries are informal, generous and a little indulgent without any fuss. Which is a very British way to enjoy summer.

Three takes on one fruit

Strawberry is one of those flavours that works as both a wine and a mead. Which is why it’s earned its own little collection here. Three drinks, three different sides of the same fruit: one light and crisp, one rich and honeyed, one fizzy and easy. New to mead? Our guide is a gentle place to start.

Strawberry Wine:

The easy one

Our Strawberry Wine is the most straightforwardly summery thing we make. A medium, well balanced fruit wine with a soft strawberry aroma and that ripe, gentle sweetness people don’t always expect.

Serve it well chilled. On its own it’s a lovely aperitif; topped with soda and a few sprigs of mint it becomes a long, refreshing drink for sipping slowly while the tennis rolls on. At 11% ABV, it’s easy to enjoy all afternoon.

Strawberry Mead:

The richer one

Our Strawberry Mead brings depth. Made the traditional way from honey rather than grapes, it’s ripe berries on the nose, sweet macerated strawberries on the palate, and deep honey underneath, all kept fresh by a little acidity.

It’s rounder and warmer than the wine, and a proper talking point for anyone who’s never tried mead. Serve it chilled, ideally with soft cheese or a fruity pudding.

Strawberry & Elderflower Sparkling Mead:

The modern one

Our Strawberry & Elderflower Sparkling Mead is mead for how we drink now. Light, floral and fizzy, it brings together real strawberry juice and aromatic elderflower over a gentle honey base. With no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.

It comes in a 330ml can at a gentle 3.5% ABV, which makes it the easy, sessionable pick for picnics, festivals and long afternoons in the garden. Chill it, pour it over ice, done. There’s more in the sparkling mead range.

Strawberry Wine Spritzer

If you make one drink this summer, make this. Long, cool and effortless. Perfect for the garden, the picnic blanket, or a tense final set.

You’ll need: a large wine glass

Ingredients:

3.5 oz Lyme Bay Strawberry Wine, well chilled
2 oz soda water
A squeeze of fresh lemon
A few mint leaves
2 or 3 strawberries, sliced
Ice

Method:

Fill a large glass with ice.
Add the chilled Strawberry Wine and a squeeze of lemon.
Top with soda and stir once, slowly.
Drop in the strawberries and lightly pressed mint.

Tip: Leave a couple of strawberry slices in the glass. They will keep infusing as you sip. Making a round? Build it in a jug and add the soda and ice last so it stays lively.

Want more ideas? Our five strawberry wine cocktails take the same bottle further, and the best mead cocktails are worth a look if you’ve a Strawberry Mead open.

Hosting a tennis afternoon

The whole trick is keeping it relaxed.

Keep the food simple. Strawberries and cream, obviously. Then a board of soft cheeses, good bread, cherries, a few tarts.
A jug of spritzer made ahead, a few cans of the Sparkling Mead on ice, and the Strawberry Mead chilled for after the match.
Use the garden. Picnic blankets, cushions, a bit of shade, and a small table within reach of the screen.
Have a no-alcohol option. Soda, lemon and fresh strawberries makes a lovely alcohol free spritzer, so everyone’s glass looks the part.

The Lyme Bay strawberry collection

From the easy charm of the Strawberry Wine to the depth of the Strawberry Mead and the sparkle of the Strawberry & Elderflower Sparkling Mead, each is made here in East Devon from real fruit.

Whatever the occasion? Garden party, coastal picnic or the tennis on the telly. There’s a glass for it. Have a look at the wider fruit wine range and mead collection too. Free UK delivery over £65.

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Strawberries, Tennis and the Taste of the British Summer