Chefs around the country have been eagerly anticipating the start of the late British shallot season, which is set to start in August.

British shallots were in short supply this year because of poor weather during the growing season and increased consumer demand. And, according to TNS, sales of shallots in the first quarter of 2008 were up more than 13 per cent in volume on the same period last year.

Chris Kitchen of asparagus and shallot grower Kitchen Garden Produce said: “This year, we have really struggled to keep up with demand and, because production was down on last year because of the bad weather, we literally ran out of shallots.

“We have had several calls from desperate chefs who haven’t been able to buy shallots for a few weeks now, so we are really pleased to be able to supply them again now.”

Restaurateurs have had to find alternatives to expensive imported shallots, to keep many popular dishes on the menu. Tom Aikens, chef patron of restaurants Tom Aikens and Tom’s Kitchen said: “It has been difficult as we have not been able to get hold of any decent shallots for a while now. I always like to use British produce wherever I can, so I will be very pleased to be able to get British shallots again.”

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