UK-grown strawberries hit supermarket shelves early thanks to warm weather
British-grown strawberries are now hitting supermarket shelves; Recent bright sunlight and above-average temperatures are significantly increasing their growth.
Tesco is among the first to stock seasonal fruit, with baskets arriving in stores in Surrey, Kent, Herefordshire and parts of London from Friday.
The supermarket plans to expand its availability to almost half the country next week, with nationwide supply expected by mid-May.
Tesco’s projects will receive 300 tonnes of UK-grown fruit – around a million baskets – next week, marking an increase of over 100 per cent compared to three weeks ago.
This early harvest means retailers will be able to reduce their reliance on strawberries imported from Spain and Morocco in the coming weeks and offer fresh, local produce to consumers sooner.
Callum Baker, Tesco strawberry buyer, said: “The start of outdoor strawberry season in Britain is a big feel-good moment in the year as it means summer is just around the corner, with months of outdoor living ahead of us.
“Next week marks a significant step forward in the transition to British supply, with the volume of strawberries coming into Tesco from the UK more than doubling since the beginning of April.
“Based on the extra sunshine we have just seen and the good weather forecast over the next few days, we predict our total strawberry volume in the UK will be around 40% next week.
“If the weather remains relatively good from now on, we will see British-grown strawberries available across the UK by mid-May.”
Neil Donaldson, commercial manager at Hall Hunter growers, which has farms near Wokingham and Wargrave in Berkshire and Godalming in Surrey, said: “Cool nights and warm sunny days create the perfect conditions for growing sweet, full-flavored strawberries – and that’s exactly what this weekend’s forecast brings.
“Thanks to these ideal conditions, we are expecting a 30% increase in strawberries leaving our farms. This is a great start to the UK strawberry season and we hope these great conditions will continue.”
The strawberry variety entering Tesco stores is called Lady Emma; Known for their large size and sweet taste, 400g baskets cost £2.50.
Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said: “Our first outdoor strawberries of the season are being picked this week as the weather continues to improve in the UK as we begin the transition from our year-round greenhouse crop.
“The weather has been bad throughout March, which means we’re not expecting as many berries as last year. But that’s actually good news for all of us, because there won’t be a lot of fruit arriving at the same time.”
“And the great news is that we expect the strawberries to be particularly sweet this year.
“Due to the unstable weather in March, the fruit spent more time on the plant, and the longer the fruit stays on the plant, the sweeter it becomes. All of this points to the excellent flavor and quality of this year’s strawberries.”
