Waitrose has made the decision to only stock English cherries as the season fast approaches.
Waitrose will be the first supermarket to commit to offering English only cherries for the key window of the UK season - five weeks at the height of the summer.
The English cherry season start date will be dependent on the weather over the coming weeks as frost or rain could hit at key points subsequently reducing the volumes however The retailer said this year’s yield is looking “promising”.
The UK season is usually from June but could be earlier this year if the mild, dry weather continues.
Waitrose is planning a five fold increase of English cherries compared with last year which saw a 45 per cent increase in cherry sales - with more English cherries last year than previous years.
The supermarket will begin the sale of cherries on 11 May with imported product from North America, Turkey and Spain. Imported cherries will then be phased out for the five week 100 per cent English season and then in August as the English season draws to a close, it will be English topped up with imported fruit.
The upmarket retailer is in talks with growers and cherry experts over potentially into September.
Waitrose buyer Nicki Baggott said: “English cherries are on their way back as commercial volumes start to increase and we’re confident that within the next two to three years English cherries will be as big and bold as English raspberries and strawberries”.
Andy Hunt of Lower Hope Fruit adds, “The cherry yield is looking promising for 2011. Although blossom is a good indication of a good crop of succulent cherries it’s actually the cold winter, like the one we’ve just had that provides the best start for a crop. Cherries benefit from cold winters because stone fruit need to reach a threshold of chill units to achieve strong blossom.”
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