The iconic British fruit will be filling supermarket shelves in mid-May compared to June last year.
The British strawberry season – synonymous with the start of summer – has arrived early with this year’s crop set to be even sweeter than last year.
Brits have the Spring’s bright weather to thank for the sweeter strawberries – with the UK bathing in approximately 166 hours of sunshine in April, 7% above average for the month[1].
This has resulted in the strawberry crop enjoying an increased level of sunlight which has boosted their natural sugar content.
Rupert Carter, Technical Director of WB Chambers Farms said: “We have enjoyed bright days this Spring coupled with cool nights which allows strawberry plants to rest well and put their energy gained during the day into producing high natural sugars overnight. This process makes the berries sweeter and is one of the main reasons for such good tasting fruit.”
This year, Brits will also enjoy British strawberries sooner than last year. The brighter weather means there are predicted to be 50% more strawberries available next week compared to the same period last year – when the season was delayed by cold weather.
The news may be particularly sweet for Her Majesty, whose Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday is forecast to be the biggest buying occasion of British strawberries this year with over 5,000 tonnes expected to be purchased that week[2] – the equivalent in weight of 378,000 Corgis.
Nick Marston, Chairman of British Summer Fruits, the industry body that represents 95% of berries supplied to UK supermarkets said: “It looks to be another fantastic year for British strawberries. However, rising energy and labour costs are presenting real challenges for UK berry growers.
“Despite these challenges, British strawberries remain a true success story. The UK is totally self-sufficient in strawberries for the entire summer season which now runs from May to October as farms continue to advance growing techniques, such as large-scale glasshouse production for season extension. This allows us to offer shoppers locally grown fresh berries for longer.”
Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) are the most popular fruit in Brits shopping baskets with a fruit category market share of 27%[3].
British Summer Fruits is sharing its 90+ delicious recipes which give a nod to true British classics alongside new crowd-pleasers that signal the start of summer https://www.lovefreshberries.co.uk/recipes
[1] Met Office 2022, April showers dwindled in dry month
[2] British Growers published research into forecast strawberry sales tonnage report on 15th March 2022
[3] Kantar published research into the fruit market across 52 weeks ending 17th April 2022.