As the second week at Wimbledon kicks off, this week sees the first crop of British plums arriving into Waitrose & Partners branches, landing on shelves earlier than ever before*. The plums are grown in Gloucestershire, on a farm that has been supplying the supermarket for over 30 years.
Waitrose & Partners is the first supermarket to stock the favourite seasonal stone fruit this summer. The first batch of homegrown 'Herman' variety plums will be hand-delivered to three Waitrose & Partners shops on Wednesday 10th July.
The British plums are grown by Michael and Christiana Bentley from Castle Fruit Farms in Gloucestershire. The Bentleys have grown plums for Waitrose for 13 years and the farm's orchard has produced fruit for the retailer for over 30 years.
The Herman variety have a purple shiny skin and are traditionally the first plum variety to be picked each season. They are a 'free stone' variety with a small stone which falls easily away from the flesh, meaning it's a fuss free fruit to eat. The plums are harvested carefully by hand to prevent bruising so they are in perfect condition when they arrive into shops.
Tim Stevens, stone fruit buyer at Waitrose & Partners comments, ‘The arrival of British plums is something our customers really look forward to. Thanks to our long-standing relationship with our expert growers, we’re able to provide shoppers with the very best British plums. They are a delicious and versatile fruit perfect for summer desserts, jams or simply scrumptious eaten straight from the fruit bowl.'
For further information please contact:
Claire Earley
Waitrose
Tel: +44 1344825793
Email: claire.earley@waitrose.co.uk