Nearly nine tons of fresh strawberries were yesterday sold at the ever popular Festa Frawli in Mġarr, a lot of it in a wide variety of desserts, snacks and beverages made with the luscious, red fruit.

The fat strawberries were handpicked by some 40 Mġarr farmers from the fertile fields in the Żebbiegħ area for the seventh edition of the festival.

As stalls made a roaring trade selling boxes of the stuff that Mġarr has become famous for, professional chefs prepared straw-berry-based gourmet dishes such as ravioli and homemade wine and jams.

The event, organised in the main square by the local council and the Kummissjoni Lejla Mġarrija, originated seven years ago to promote the villages’ speciality produce.

It requires the help of some 200 volunteers as the profit goes towards the building of the Mġarr parish church.

Last year, some eight tons of fresh strawberries and one ton of strawberry food were sold.

Local councillor and secretary of the Kummissjoni Lejla Mġarrija Mario Sammut said a record number of people attended the festival this year.