The tomato is technically a berry and therefore a fruit, but we tend to use it as a vegetable. That said, plucked from the vine and eaten immediately on a warm summer day, tomatoes are often sweet enough to be enjoyed as a fruit. Either way, at this time of the year freshly-picked, home-grown tomatoes which still have a bloom on their skin should be enjoyed in plenty before their season is over.

Food writer Lindsey Bareham has just brought out a paperback called The Big Red Book of Tomatoes (Grub Street Press, £15.99), a revised edition of the hardback that came out 12 years ago. Her aim is to inspire readers to enjoy cooking with tomatoes as much as she does. In the three years she spent cooking and researching this book she became obsessed with tomatoes.

The biggest change over the past decade is the growth in vine tomatoes, which are sold with their calyx and vine intact. These give a whiff of the true tomato smell, which most tomato addicts believe makes their high price acceptable. Although we are now more discerning about the tomatoes we buy and are seeking out the rarer varieties, about 80 per cent of the tomatoes we eat are still unexciting imported varieties. Lindsey hopes her book will change this.

One discovery she made while revising the book is that there is now an educational website (www.thetomatozone.co.uk) aimed at school age children and another (www.britishtmatoes.co.uk) with up-to-date information on all aspects of the tomato.

Tomatoes are thought to have originated in South America, on the northern edge of the Andes, in Peru, Ecuador and Chile. As they are related to the potato, which also comes from South America, this is not surprising. They appeared in the second edition of Gerard’s Herbal in 1636 under the heading ‘Apples of Love’, as they had acquired a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Unfortunately, Gerard described them as having a rank and stinking flavour, which did not encourage general use for some time. By the 19th century, however, tomatoes had really caught on. Now, only the Japanese and some other parts of Asia fail to include tomatoes in their recipes.

The early tomatoes were yellow. Their popularity grew when seeds brought to Europe from Mexico by two Jesuits, produced the red tomato we know today. Yellow and orange tomatoes are still available, but do not sell well.

Tomatoes get their bright red colour from lycopene which is particularly dense in the skin. Lycopene is a powerful anti-oxidant thought to combat the harmful effects of free radicals, which are precursors to heart disease and cancer. Recent research has shown that ripe British tomatoes have a much higher lycopene content than previously thought, especially compared with imported long-life types. As lycopene is more readily absorbed into the bloodstream when the tomatoes are cooked with olive or corn oil, the ideal solution is to eat them both raw and cooked.

The green tomatoes that refuse to ripen when the plant dies back can be used for pickles and chutneys, but they should not be eaten raw as they contain tonatine, a toxin also found in green potatoes. Because tomatoes are a good source of vitamins A,C and E, the natural pigments known as carotenoids and flavonoids which are also found in red wine and tea, tomatoes don’t just taste good but are good for your health as well.

Lindsey’s inspirational book contains a stunning collection of recipes which give tomatoes star treatment. Her 400 recipes, which she has cooked, tested and then tested again, include salsas from Mexico, curries from India, Arab tagines, pizzas from Italy and chutneys from the British Isles. She has also included hints on how to make the ultimate Bloody Mary, which calls for the glass to be rinsed out with sherry before the tomato juice, herbs and vodka are poured into the glass.

Readers will discover that basil pops up frequently in this recipe collection as it is indisputably the tomato’s favourite herb, though herbs such as tarragon, mint, chervil and coriander are often included. Lindsey’s Hollandaise sauce with diced tomatoes, freshly snipped basil or chives, to be served with poached cod, haddock or sea bass, is bliss. It is a perfect example of how well tomatoes mix with herbs.

The Big Red Tomato Book is one of those inspirational publications all cooks should not just add to their library, but cook from frequently.