The earliest ever British grown strawberries went on sale today, beating the previous record by four days.
Tesco and Aldi are stocking the glasshouse grown favori cultivars for £2.49 a punnet at stores in Bridgend, Wales. The milestone harvest was achieved by Springfields Nursery after a mild winter allowed for unusually early crop.
The previous record for British strawberries arriving on our shelves was 26 February in 2007, despite temperatures hovering around zero at this time of year.
Tesco strawberry buyer Jordan Blandford said: “Hats off to Springfield who have achieved this fantastic coup with their expertise and innovation. There is always a lot of excitement about the first British strawberries being picked because their arrival means the start of spring is not too far away.
“This is brilliant news for customers as British strawberries are considered to be among the best in the world, thanks to our great growing conditions.”
Julie Ashfield, Joint Managing Director for Corporate Buying at Aldi said: “Aldi is committed to supporting British suppliers, so it’s always a celebrated milestone when we can offer customers exceptional quality, British grown strawberries.”
Tesco will stock more British strawberries from Essex this weekend, as season extending techniques continue to spread their availability. Traditionally the strawberry season begins in May.
Glasshouses and polytunnels as well as new varieties are allowing growers to extend the season length of various fruits. Last week US researchers announced they had identified a gene in strawberries which regulates growth and yield.
