8 Tomato Varieties and What to Cook With Each

Not all tomatoes are created equal. The right variety can lift a simple salad into something memorable, turn a quick pasta into a proper meal, or become the showpiece on a plate. This guide walks through eight specialty tomatoes grown on our Samui family farm, each one chemical-free and picked at peak ripeness, so you know which to reach for and what to cook with it.

What Makes a Specialty Tomato Special

Supermarket tomatoes are usually bred to travel well and look uniform, not to taste good. Specialty varieties are the opposite. They are chosen for flavour first, then grown in small batches and harvested when they are genuinely ready, not days early to survive a long journey.

Colour is a real clue here, not just decoration. Yellow and orange tomatoes tend to be lower in acid and gentler on the palate. Deep reds usually carry more of that classic tomato tang and sweetness. Mixing colours on a plate is one of the easiest ways to make food look considered, and it gives you a spread of flavours in a single bowl.

Everything below is sold in 250g clamshells, grown without chemicals, and ripened on the vine.

Yellow Round Cherry Tomato (฿90)

Golden, glossy and rounded, these are the gentlest tomato we grow. Very sweet with low acidity and a mild, almost mellow finish, they are the ones even tomato sceptics tend to enjoy.

Because they are so mild, they shine raw. Toss them whole into green salads, scatter them over burrata, or thread them onto skewers for the grill. They also make a lovely garnish on cold soups and grain bowls where you want sweetness without sharpness.

Orange Round Cherry Tomato (฿90)

A glowing orange cousin to the yellow, with a smooth, rounded sweetness and a slightly fuller body. The colour alone earns them a place on the table.

Use them anywhere you want warmth and brightness without acidity. They are excellent halved through couscous and quinoa salads, roasted lightly to concentrate their sweetness, or simply snacked on straight from the clamshell. Paired with the yellow variety, they make a stunning two-tone caprese.

Gourami Tomato (฿100)

A plump specialty variety with a rich, balanced flavour and a genuinely satisfying bite. This is the all-rounder of the collection, sweet enough to enjoy raw but with enough structure and depth to hold up to heat.

Reach for these when you want one tomato to do everything. They roast beautifully, hold their shape in a slow-cooked sauce, and slice cleanly for sandwiches and bruschetta. If you only buy one variety for general cooking, make it this one.

Red Candy Tomato (฿100)

Deep red and extremely sweet, these honestly eat like candy. Pop one in your mouth and the sweetness arrives first, with just enough tomato character behind it to keep things interesting.

Their sweetness makes them brilliant for snacking, lunchboxes and anything aimed at children. They are also a clever trick in cooking, blistered quickly in a hot pan to add bursts of sweetness to pasta, or scattered raw over a sharp, herby salad where their sugar balances the bite.

Strawberry Tomato (฿110)

Named for their pointed strawberry shape, these are a genuine showpiece. Thick walls give them a firm, meaty texture, and the flavour is deep and fruity, more intense than a standard cherry.

Those thick walls mean less water and more flesh, which makes them ideal for roasting and slow cooking where you do not want a watery result. Halve and roast them for antipasti, layer them into tarts and galettes, or use them raw where presentation matters and you want guests to ask what they are.

Red Thai Cherry "Rachini" (฿90)

The classic small, firm Thai cherry. Bright, with a proper tomato tang and a clean snap when you bite it. This is the tomato that tastes the way many people remember tomatoes tasting.

That brightness makes Rachini the natural choice for Thai dishes. Halve them into som tam and laab, drop them whole into tom yum near the end of cooking, or use them anywhere you want acidity to cut through richness. They are equally at home in a Western salad that needs a sharper, fresher note.

Solarino Tomato (฿120)

Our premium glossy snacking tomato, with an intense sweet-savoury depth that sets it apart. There is real complexity here, sweetness up front, then a savoury, almost umami finish that lingers.

These are made for moments where the tomato is the star. Serve them as a snacking bowl with good olive oil and flaky salt, plate them alongside cured meats and cheese, or use them raw in a minimalist dish where a few perfect tomatoes carry the plate. They reward being tasted on their own.

Wild Cherry on the Vine (฿120)

Tiny wild cherries left on the vine, with a big aroma the moment you open the clamshell. Small in size but generous in flavour and beautiful in presentation, the vine itself adds drama.

Serve them on the vine for maximum impact, draped across an antipasti board, a cheese platter or a finished main. Roast them whole, still on the stem, to keep that vine aroma and serve them as a centrepiece. When you want a dish to look effortless and special at the same time, these earn their place.

How to Store Your Tomatoes

Tomatoes are living fruit, and the fridge dulls them fast. Cold air mutes their flavour and turns the flesh mealy, undoing the work that went into ripening them properly.

Keep your tomatoes at room temperature, out of the fridge, ideally in a single layer and out of direct sun. Storing them stem side down helps slow moisture loss and keeps them firmer for longer. Eat them within a few days of buying for the best flavour, which is rarely a hard task once you have tasted them.

Pick Your Tomatoes

Whether you are after the candy-sweet bite of a Red Candy, the showpiece drama of Wild Cherry on the Vine, or a versatile Gourami to carry your weeknight cooking, there is a variety here for every dish. All are grown on our Samui family farm, chemical-free, and sold fresh in 250g clamshells.

Browse the full tomato range on our shop and order easily over WhatsApp. We will pick them ripe and get them to you fresh.