The first fruits of a new English apricot variety that has been 15 years in the making have debuted.
The apricots, growing near Ash in Kent, are blossoming after 15 years of trials and research, with AG Thames seeing the fruits of its labour as a thousand trees planted across a number of UK sites begin to produce in earnest.
The varieties are maturing and will start to fruit in much larger volumes over coming years and early indications are that a strong crop should be delivered in future due to the abundant blossom.
AG Thames leads the way with UK apricots as the master licence-holder for a number of Cot varieties and the fruit will be on the shelves of UK retailers toward the end of July.
The sight of the apricot orchards in blossom will only be around for a few days and remains a very rare sight in the UK.
A spokesman said: "Last year’s fruit ate well with excellent colour and sugar levels and we remain very positive."
The trials are planted in a number of geographical sites in Kent, East Anglia and the south of England.
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