‘Too large to slot in your mouth’: sunny spring delivers crop of ‘large’ UK strawberries | Meals & drink trade

The UK’s sunny spring climate has supplied “good” circumstances to supply strawberries so large you “can not match them in your mouth”, UK growers have stated.

With practically 20 years’ expertise, Bartosz Pinkosz, the operations director on the Summer season Berry Firm, has “by no means seen something prefer it”. The strawberries being harvested this month by the main grower are whoppers due to the mix of a number of sunshine and funky nights.

“We had the darkest January and February because the 70s however then the brightest March and April since 1910,” he stated. “From March onwards it was actually sort of good for tunnel strawberries. The berries are between 10% and 20% bigger.”

Berries grown on the firm’s farm in Colworth, West Sussex, are bought by all the massive retailers and, whereas sizes range, Pinkosz stated its strawberry vegetation are yielding “large” 50g berries you “can not slot in your mouth”. Nonetheless, the typical is a extra modest 30g.

Nick Marston, the chair of the trade physique British Berry Growers, confirmed the (fruit) salad days forward for strawberry lovers. “We’re seeing excellent dimension, form, look, and most of all, actually nice flavour and sugar content material, which is what customers need after they purchase British strawberries,” he stated.

He added: “I’m all the time somewhat cautious of claiming strawberries are 20% larger as a result of there’s a mean concerned and a few crops will likely be barely smaller than others. However I believe it will be honest to say the very good sunshine, the cool in a single day temperatures, are perfect for fruit growth.”

The blockbuster berries within the Summer season Berry Firm’s tunnels had been “tastier and firmer”, Pinkosz stated, as a result of the cool nights enabled the fruit to ripen slowly. “The slower the event of the fruits, the extra time to increase the cells and create the larger berry. What we at the moment are seeing is one thing I’ve by no means seen in 19 years, which is persistently bigger berries.

“It has been an ideal begin to the strawberry season for us … I’ve genuinely by no means seen a harvest produce such giant berries persistently. Some are supersized – rising to the scale of plums and even kiwi fruits.”

The sunny, very dry spring, with the warmest begin to Might on document, delivered a glut of early strawberries, aubergines and tomatoes initially of Might. However because the dry circumstances persist there are fears that Britain is heading for a drought this summer season.

Marston stated the spectre of water shortages can be a reason for concern, notably for growers within the south-east of England. Nonetheless, he stated berries had been grown utilizing drip irrigation so water was used very sparingly.

As Wimbledon approaches subsequent month, tennis followers could possibly be handled to juicy, supersize strawberries for a second 12 months in a row after moist and darkish circumstances slowed rising occasions final 12 months.