A study coordinated by Dr Hazel MacTavish-West, a Cambridge-based plant scientist, on behalf of Hargreaves Plants, discovered that good flavour is as important as sweetness and acidity to the consumer's enjoyment of strawberries.

The basic aim of her work was to compare people's opinions of seven strawberry varieties' flavour and colour with the results of laboratory analyses of flavour compounds.

Researchers at the University of Nottingham found that more than 50 compounds contribute to the fruit's taste.

"There was a huge variation between the different varieties," said MacTavish-West, who has specialist knowledge of the health benefits and flavour of fruit.

"Some tasted very tangy-acidic and others were quite sweet. Only a few varieties actually tasted like a strawberry should."

She claimed that one variety, Albion, "stood head and shoulders" above the others, with an even balance of sweetness and acidity, along with a well-rounded, intense strawberry flavour.

The University of Nottingham work showed that Albion contains twice the amount of flavour compounds of other varieties tested.

The study confirmed other facts that are already known about strawberries, such as that they contain numerous antioxidant and anti-cancer compounds. These include anthocyanins, the compounds responsible for the fruit's red colour, and ellagic acid, known to have strong anti-cancer properties and also found in raspberries.

Albion again came out top, as the variety contains 15 to 25 per cent more anthocyanins than the best of the others.