Waitrose is taking advantage of a bumper UK plum crop by offering consumers a range of varieties and recipes.
Despite complaints from growers that much UK product remains unpicked, Waitrose has extended its plum offer in taking advantage of an abundance of product this year due to trees regenerating after a poor 2008 season.
Cold weather at blossom time last year prevented the fruit from germinating properly and in some cases halved production on fruit farms, but conditions this year created plentiful quantities of the fruit.
Waitrose will offer several varieties including: Opals and Reeves Seedlings this month; Jubileums and the traditional Victoria through until mid-September and Marjorie’s Seedlings, aimed at the cooking and preserve market, from early September through to October.
A special purchase pack is available for keen cooks in Waitrose stores from September. Priced at £3.99 for a 1.8kg pack, it will contain a selection of varieties throughout the season.
Waitrose producers Michael and Christina Bentley of Castle Fruit Farm in Gloucestershire said: “It’s been a great year for plums, as they like a balance of sunshine and rain. As the plums are English they do not have to travel far, we don’t need to pick them until they’re at perfect ripeness, which means they develop lots of flavour.”
Waitrose fruit buyer Nicki Baggott said: "At Waitrose we always support British producers wherever possible. When we heard that there would be an abundant crop of British plums this year, we made plans to source additional supplies from our British growers. Some 94 per cent of our plums are British, with the remaining six per cent being varieties which do not grow as well in the British climate.
“We have made every effort to promote British plums to our customers by giving them extra space in branch, featuring them in our in-store publications and offering money-saving offers. For the first time this year, we also have a bumper 1.8kg pack of plums for keen bakers and jam makers. Sales of British plums over the past two weeks are up by a massive 50 per cent on the same period in 2007."
As part of its budget range essential Waitrose English Plums are on sale at £1.49 for 525g and essential Waitrose English Plums are £4.99 per kg, while Waitrose’s Plums Special purchase 1.8kg pack is £3.99.
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