Blueberries twice the size of regular ones have gone on sale across the UK this week.
The new variety, which is being sold in Tesco under the name Atlantic Blue, is the result of a 20-year natural breeding project.
The fruit is grown exclusively in southern Spain, in the Donana national park, by Atlantic Blue, which operates the biggest blueberry growing and research institute in Europe. Supplies are seafreighted to the UK.
In the last year, sales of blueberries across all UK retailers have grown by 31 per cent, creating a market now worth £76 million a year, according to TNS figures.
Tesco blueberry buyer Andrew Gaunt said: “Blueberries have been a spectacular success story in the UK over the last three years - even at a time when shoppers are cutting back on their spending, they are still selling very well.
“In the last few years our blueberry sales have quadrupled, which has led to the fruit changing from being a niche to a mainstream item.
“But now fans will be able to get their hands on the ultimate blueberry - sweeter and firmer, with a better texture than traditional varieties and with a delightful pop factor when you bite into them.
“With the launch of Atlantic Blue, we believe blueberries could soon begin to rival sales of Britain’s most popular fruits such as bananas, apples, pears, strawberries and raspberries.”
The blueberries are on sale at all Tesco stores, priced initially at £3.99 a punnet.
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