British plums hit Waitrose two weeks early
The right mix of weather over the last few weeks, which saw bright and warm days balanced with cooler evenings, has led to a much earlier launch this year.
Husband and wife team, Michael and Christiana Bentley of Castle Fruit Farms, have grown plums for Waitrose for 14 years and the farm's orchard has produced other fruits for the retailer for over 30 years. The earliest plum variety to arrive each year is the purple skinned Herman, which are harvested carefully by hand to prevent bruising so they are in perfect condition when they arrive into shops.
Says Michael Bentley, "The first plums we pick are from the tops of the trees, where the fruit has access to the most sun. The Herman variety has a very small stone that falls easily away from the flesh, making it fuss free to eat."
Later in the summer, Waitrose will stock an additional seven British varieties, and demand is expected to rocket as customers make the most of the short season.
The awareness and popularity of plums is growing every year. Last year sales rose by 137% when British varieties came into season and Waitrose is expecting the same this year. The first Waitrose British plums have launched into five of the supermarket's branches and as the season continues, the fruit will be in all Waitrose branches by 20 July.
Between July and September Waitrose will stock an additional four varieties of British plums:
• Opal, an early variety with red mottled skin and sweet flavour
• Reeves Seedling, a beautiful yellow flesh plum with a reddish purple finish
• Victoria, the traditional yellow/pink blushed
• Marjorie Seedling, a dark purple variety which is harvested late in the season
For more information:
Karla Graves
Waitrose
Tel: +44 01344 825204
karla.graves@waitrose.co.uk