This season’s crop of English apricots arrives in a limited number of Sainsbury’s stores this week.
The fruit is the result of the Sainsbury’s apricot project, which saw its first commercial volumes in 2006.
Working with specialist breeder Pierre Rui and his Cot International Breeding Programme, and nurseryman William Sibley, the Tomcot and Flavorcot varieties have been specially selected.
The UK apricot industry is still in the early stages of establishment, with trees producing in their third year and the seventh year producing a full crop. Some 15 acres have been planted to date.
Climatic changes in the UK have made the trial more successful than initially thought, with the cold nights and warm days producing some “exceptional quality fruit”, according to Sainsbury’s fruit technologist Theresa Huxley.
“We plan to pick, pack and ship the English apricot into the nearest Sainsbury’s store within two days,” she said.
The three supplying farms are existing stonefruit, top fruit and soft-fruit farms, each owned by second-generation fruit growers with more than 100 years of growing experience. They are Clive Baxter in East Kent, Humphrie Hume at Wingham in Kent, and Ray Manning in Cambridgeshire.
