British grower scales up UK butternut squash production thanks to successful Sakata seed variety
UK grower Barfoots is scaling up its commercial production of British-grown butternut squash thanks to the success of a new variety developed by its seed partner Sakata.
The West Sussex-based producer, which was one of the first companies to import butternut squash into the UK in the 1990s, has expanded plantings of Sakata’s “breakthrough” Mieluna F-1 variety on its UK farms.
The variety is suitable for production in cooler climates, such as the UK and northern Europe, and is notable for its sweet, nutty flavour and long shelf-life, Barfoots said.
Commenting on its butternut production, Barfoots farm director Neil Cairns said: “Growing British butternut has been an ambition for us for some time, and following some promising trials we’ve scaled up production this year.
“We’re pleased with how the crop has taken to our climate on the south coast and are excited to develop it further.”
Harvested in October, Barfoots’ British butternuts are currently available in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose stores.
