The first UK cucumbers should come on stream in early February, according to Lea Valley grower Paz Milazzo of UK Salads. “We planted on 2 January, but apart from this week, light levels have not been fantastic,” said Milazzo. “We only need a few good days and will be looking at starting to pick in two to three weeks time in early February.”
The market is likely to be eager for UK cue as supplies from Spain have been experiencing logistical difficulties, he added. “We have not problems with the product, there are just not enough lorries to load in Spain as there is not the same amount of back-haulage from the UK as there usually is. It seems to be a problem generally with Spain, which just does not seem to be importing as much from the UK as it used to.”
