Giant strawberries that “cannot fit in your mouth” are set to hit UK supermarket shelves this summer, fruit farmers said.
Summer Berry Company operations director Bartosz Pinkosz said strawberries grown at its farm in Colworth, West Sussex, were 20 per cent larger than normal due to unusual weather patterns.
It comes after the Met Office said April was the UK’s sunniest since records began in 1910, with a total of 228.9 sunshine hours.
Mr Pinkosz said he had “never seen anything like it”. “We had the darkest January and February since the 70s, but then the brightest March and April since 1910.
“From March onwards, it was really kind of perfect for tunnel strawberries. The berries are between 10 per cent and 20 per cent larger,” he told The Guardian.
Amelia McLean, director of Kent-based Hugh Lowe Farms, added: “This year’s weather has already produced berries that not only look fantastic but are also sweet and full of flavour.”
Typically, strawberry season starts in May and peaks around June or July, but the recent sunny spells mean the British-grown fruit will be in supermarkets sooner.
They take anywhere from six to 11 months until they are ready to pick, depending on whether they are grown in a glasshouse or tunnel.
Strawberries are sweeter when days are bright and nights are cool, which allows the fruit to rest overnight and use more plentiful energy gained during the day to produce natural sugars.
Nick Marston, chair of British Berry Growers, said: “This year’s early season strawberries are looking exceptional in both flavour and form.
“The warm weather, high light levels, and active pollination have come together beautifully. We’re expecting a strong yield and outstanding taste quality this season.”
Last year, The Summer Berry Company, together with another grower, Wicks Farm – both based in West Sussex – became the first UK growers to produce commercial quantities of strawberries all year long.
They produced 38 tonnes of the fruit for the festive period, an increase of 40 per cent on the same period in 2023.
