British-grown strawberries are reaching supermarket shelves following warm and sunny weather that accelerated crop development. Tesco is among the first retailers to stock the seasonal fruit, with punnets arriving in stores across Surrey, Kent, Herefordshire, and parts of London.
Close to half of Tesco stores are expected to receive supplies in the coming days, with nationwide availability anticipated by mid-May. The retailer expects to receive approximately 300 tons of UK-grown strawberries next week, equivalent to around one million punnets. This represents an increase of more than 100 per cent compared to three weeks earlier and allows for a reduced reliance on imports from Spain and Morocco.
Callum Baker, Tesco's strawberry buyer, 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.
"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.
"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% next week."
Growers report that current weather patterns are supporting crop development. Neil Donaldson, commercial director at Hall Hunter, 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.
"Thanks to these ideal conditions, we're expecting a 30% 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."
The variety supplied to Tesco is Lady Emma, with 400g punnets priced at £2.50 (US$3.15).
Producers are also transitioning from protected to outdoor production. 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.
"The weather was poor throughout March, which means we're not expecting a glut of strawberries like we had last year. But that's actually good news for us all, as it means there won't be too much fruit all coming at once.
"And 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."
Sources: GB News / Independent
