Tennis lovers share their upset after being served ‘disappointing’ strawberries and cream at Wimbledon

This is one of the best-loved traditions of the British summer.

But for some Wimbledon spectators, this year’s famous strawberries and cream left a sour taste; participants complained that the Championship’s iconic dessert had fallen victim to contraction.

Disgruntled fans posted photos and videos online, claiming their £2.85 portion contained fewer than the traditional ten strawberries, while others claimed some of the berries were cut in half to expand the serving.

The complaints sparked a wave of criticism, with many raising the question of whether one of Britain’s best-loved sports was becoming smaller.

Among those unimpressed was Angelina, 42, who counted just nine strawberries in the basket.

‘It was disappointing,’ he said. ‘You want the right amount. If the cost has gone up and it’s less, it’s not fair.’

Another participant, who only had seven berries in her box, agreed: ‘The service is so bad these aren’t even six whole berries. Then I completely ignore the 7th disgust that comes to mind.’

Steve Cordeiro, 41, from London, was among those unconvinced after looking through his share of it.

One fan described the strawberry and cream portions as ‘disappointing’

Tennis fans claim £2.85 servings contain less than the traditional ten strawberries

‘They look terrible,’ he said. ‘This is not the freshest strawberry.

‘These are supposed to be Britain’s freshest strawberries, right? ‘They leave a slightly sour taste in the mouth.’

Former British diplomat Ameer Kotecha joined the debate about X, writing: ‘We can be much better than this.’

He added: ‘Ditch the ridiculous cardboard boxes and serve them in neat little tubs. Making things greener shouldn’t make them worse.’

Ukrainian Yan Osahrov, 31, said that buying strawberries and cream was an important part of his Wimbledon visit, and claimed that his portion contained only nine strawberries.

‘I think they need to use more small boxes for this because it doesn’t seem like it’s enough,’ he said.

Dessert has long been considered one of the few bargains at the All England Club, where food and drink prices have risen steadily in recent years. This year the price of a portion of strawberries and cream is £2.85, compared to £2.70 last year.

Traditionally, each serving is intended to contain at least ten Grade 1 English strawberries, freshly picked and served with cream.

Each serving is intended to contain at least ten Grade 1 English strawberries.

During the championship, Wimbledon will offer approximately 2.5 million strawberries to tennis fans.

An AEC spokesman said there was a risk of falling below its target of 10 strawberries per box.

They said: ‘Strawberries are carefully picked every morning and delivered directly to the field.

‘Each strawberry is hand sorted on site and placed in boxes for our guests. We aim for 10 per box, but at times there is a risk of going below this and sometimes even serving more.

‘Since the 2024 Championships the strawberries have been served in Notpla’s Earthshot Award-winning packaging, which uses seaweed to create fully biodegradable food containers.’