Fresh cherries costing an astonishing £19.49 for a 300g punnet went have gone on sale across Tesco stores in London and the south-east.

The very rare fruit is the only variety of fresh cherries available in the world at the moment, said the retailer, and is grown by a solitary farmer in Spain.

“Amazingly there is a substantial world market for these cherries, with big demand in Dubai, Hong Kong, Moscow and Spain, as well as London,” said a Tesco statement.

Last year, the Brooks variety grown by the same producer were sold by department store Harrods for nearly £100 a kilo.

“Traditionally at this time of year you can’t buy fresh cherries anywhere in the world for love nor money,” said Tesco stonefruit buyer Charles Clowes. “There is a two-month hiatus between mid-February and mid-April when no cherries are harvested because of indigenous growing climates.

“However, a few years ago one Spanish farmer decided to produce a small amount of cherries during this period using artificial heating, and he naturally charges a lot for his efforts. But we won’t be selling them at Harrods’ price - that would cause an absolute outrage with our loyal customers,” added Clowes.

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