Glorious weather has seen UK-grown strawberries arrive in supermarkets after days of bright sunshine and above-average temperatures boosted growth. Punnets will begin to arrive on Tesco shelves in Surrey, Kent, Herefordshire and some London stores from Friday, with nearly half the country to follow next week, the supermarket said.
Ramp Up in Supply
The grocer expects to receive 300 tonnes of UK-grown fruit next week – roughly one million punnets – up by more than 100% from just three weeks ago. The whole of the UK is set to be supplied by mid-May. This means retailers will have to rely less on Spanish and Moroccan imports in the coming weeks.
Industry Optimism
Tesco strawberry buyer Callum Baker said: "The start of the outdoor British strawberry season is a huge feel-good moment in the year as it means summer is just around the corner with many months ahead of outdoor living." He added: "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." Baker noted that based on the extra sunshine and good weather forecast, total UK strawberry volume is predicted to be around 40% next week, with UK-wide availability of British-grown strawberries expected by mid-May if the weather remains favourable.
Neil Donaldson, commercial director of growers Hall Hunter, 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-flavoured strawberries — and that’s exactly what this weekend’s forecast is bringing." He expects a 30% increase in strawberries coming off their farms, calling it a fantastic start to the UK strawberry season.
Variety and Pricing
The strawberry variety going into Tesco stores is called Lady Emma, known for its large size and sweet flavour, with 400g punnets costing £2.50.
Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said: "As we start to transition from our year-round glasshouse crop, our first outdoor strawberries of the season are being picked this week, as the British weather continues to improve." He explained that poor weather throughout March means there won't be a glut of strawberries like last year, which is good news as it prevents too much fruit arriving at once. He added: "The brilliant news is we expect the strawberries this year to be particularly sweet. With the unsettled weather in March, the fruit has spent more time on the plant – and the longer the berry is on the plant, the sweeter it gets. That all points to excellent flavour and quality in this year’s strawberries."
