Tesco Real Food Reveals Biggest And Best English Strawberry Crop In Twenty Years
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Released on: June 02, 2011, 4:47 am
Author:
Tesco Real Food
Industry:
Retail
Tesco Real Food has announced that Britain's spring heat wave
has led to the biggest and best quality English strawberry crop for 20
years growers have reported.
The glut of English strawberries – considered by experts to be the best in the world– will result in an estimated 50 per cent reduction in UK retailers bringing in
imports.
Experts say that Britain's warmer than usual March and April heat wave produced
perfect growing conditions resulting in the crop being at least two weeks earlier
than usual and the extra sunshine has also increased sugar levels making the current
crop much sweeter and juicier than normal.
Tesco strawberry buyer Paul Jones said: "The unexpected great weather means an
abundance of top quality, sweeter than normal English strawberries - of the standard
normally associated with Wimbledon fortnight.
"As the quality is so high we've taken far more of the English crop than we
usually do at this time of year.
"From the start of May we will be predominantly selling just English strawberries
and the need not to import Spanish imports allows us to keep the price down.
"This is fantastic news for the English strawberry industry and should see them
getting an unexpected windfall from increased orders from UK retailers."
One of England's largest strawberry growers, R and V Emery, which is based near
Southampton, Hampshire, said it was the earliest start to the English strawberry
season for about 20 years.
Vernon Emery, who runs the business with his brother Richard, said: "Our production
yield is up by 150 per cent on recent years and if the good weather continues and we
get some rain too we could be heading for a record year.
"The extra warmth has helped boost sugar levels but equally important have been
good levels of light which have helped the fruit set and encouraged bees to
pollinate the plants.
"The great weather has also been consistent without dips in temperature which would
have hampered the quality."
Since the start of the English strawberry season Tesco has sold 50 per cent more
home grown strawberries than it did over the same period last year.
Ends
About Tesco Real Food:
The Tesco Real Food website is packed with hundreds of healthy recipes to suit any
occasion including vegetarian recipes and a recipe for strawberry yoghurt jellies. Whether
customers are looking for a quick mid-week meal for the family or something for a
special event, visitors are sure to find exactly what they're looking for. In
addition, a range of step-by-step cooking tips and videos to help improve kitchen
skills can be found, as well as healthy eating and cooking with kids sections. To
make shopping even easier, every recipe has a ready-made shopping list that can be
used to add all the ingredients to the shopping basket in just a few clicks.
For more information please contact:
Mike Baess
Tesco Corporate & Legal Affairs
New Tesco House
Delamare Road
Cheshunt
Herts
EN8 9SL
01992 646079
www.tesco.com/food
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