Marks & Spencer is offering its customers the giant King Raspberry on shelves in selected stores from this week.
The berry is supplied by KG Fruits and is double the size of the average raspberry - roughly as big as a small strawberry. Berries weigh about 7g each and are high in sugars giving them a sweeter taste than many other raspberries.
The fruit is also known as Madonna and is part of a family of varieties by that name. It is marketed with an extra-long stem and fleshy green plug still in tact. M&S describes it as “perfect for dipping - the latest craze.”
Marks & Spencer has UK retail exclusivity on the fruit and has chosen to market it under the name King Raspberry.
It was bred in California by crossing two of the largest varieties of Madonna, both with a pointed shape. KG producers have grown the fruit in the UK successfully for the first time this year in Kent. It is priced at £2.49 for a 125g punnet.
Marks & Spencer fruit technologist Emmett Lunny said: “This raspberry was grown here to help meet an increasing demand for the fruit, which is growing in popularity at a faster rate than the strawberry. The King Raspberry looks and tastes fantastic. It can be eaten straight from the punnet.”
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