Driscoll's unveils the waitress it named its strawberry after

Driscoll's has revealed its popular strawberry, the Magdelena, was named after an “attentive” and “attractive” Lithuanian waitress that served its berry experts at a hotel in Scotland.

In a tale that stretches back to the 2008 BerryTech conference, Driscoll's has unveiled the secret behind the soft fruit that slips into Tesco’s Finest range, Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference, Asda Extra Special, M&S Sunbliss and Waitrose’s Speciality.

In a letter to the press, Driscoll's explained: “Magdalena was an attentive and as the folklore of this story would have it, very attractive and personable Lithuanian waitress serving the group of berry growing experts, at the two-day conference.

“So impressed were the group they vowed at the end of the meeting to name the next Driscoll's strawberry after her, as a lasting reminder and tribute to the BerryTech conference, and of course the delightful Lithuanian waitress.”

In her strawberry incarnation, Magdalena has equally captured the market’s attention with orange and red hue and very sweet taste, Driscoll's said.

The popularity of the strawberry has been reinforced with a 90 per cent of UK premium market share of sales by Berry Gardens in February 2012.

Berry Gardens’ managing director, Nick Marston, said the variety is grown by Driscoll’s growers in Morocco and Spain and is proving to be a very popular import into Britain.

“Magdalena has seen an astonishing growth in the UK market in a very short period and has proven to be one of our most well-liked strawberry imports,” he said.

“Magdalena, the waitress at the conference should be proud to know that she left such a lasting impression that her name has been immortalised forever in the annals of strawberry history.”