Gooseberries have been the surprise success of the summer soft-fruit crop this year, some retailers and suppliers report.
Waitrose has reported a year-on-year sales increase of 91 per cent, with the season due to end in the next seven days.
A Waitrose spokeswoman said: “Recent endorsements by top-name chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who featured gooseberry granita on his latest programme River Cottage Spring, have also contributed to the growth in demand. We are also attributing the dramatic comeback to the versatility of this full-flavoured fruit, together with greater awareness among British consumers of eating seasonally.”
Producer Steve Taylor of Winterwood Farms said the increase in sales has been steady over recent seasons. “It is a question of availability as much as demand,” said Taylor. “Gooseberries cannot be grown in southern Europe because of their requirement for our unique climate. We manage to prolong the season, which runs from June until August, by growing in Scotland as well as Kent. Demand per capita in Scotland for gooseberries is greater than in England.”
The biggest growth has been in dessert types, which are either red or green and differ from their green culinary counterparts.
Taylor believes that consumer education is vital and has been featuring recipes on packaging to boost sales. Winterwood Farms is also planting more gooseberries each year to keep up with the increasing demand.”
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