UK | Brilliant sunshine and above-average temperatures for April have boosted UK outdoor strawberry production, with the first commercial quantities starting to arrive in supermarkets.
Punnets will begin to hit Tesco shelves in Surrey, Kent, Herefordshire and some London stores, with nearly half of the country to follow on next week.
The supermarket will receive 300 tonnes of UK-grown fruit next week, roughly one million punnets, up by more than 100 per cent from just three weeks ago. The whole of the UK is set to be supplied by mid-May.
The news means retailers will have to rely less on Spanish and Moroccan imports in the next few weeks.
The start of the outdoor British strawberry season is a huge feel-good moment in the year, as it signals that summer is just around the corner and many months of outdoor living lie ahead.
“Next week marks a significant step forward in the transition to British supply, with volumes of UK strawberries into Tesco set to increase by more than double since the beginning of April," said Tesco strawberry buyer Callum Baker.
“Based on the extra sunshine we’ve just had and good weather forecast over the next few days, we predict our total UK strawberry volume to be around 40 per cent next week. If the weather stays relatively good from now, then we’ll see UK-wide availability of British-grown strawberries by mid-May."
One grower who has seen strawberry production soar this week is Hall Hunter, with farms near Wokingham and Wargrave in Berkshire, and near Goldaming in Surrey.
Cool nights and warm sunny days create the perfect conditions for growing sweet, full‑flavoured strawberries.
“Thanks to these ideal conditions, we’re expecting a 30 per cent increase in strawberries coming off our farms. It’s a fantastic start to the UK strawberry season, and we’re hopeful these great conditions will continue," said Hall Hunter Commercial Director Neil Donaldson.
The strawberry variety going into Tesco stores is called Lady Emma, known for its large size, glossy, deep red colour, and sweet flavour. The 400g punnets of UK-grown strawberries will cost GBP 2.50 each.
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