GEN cherries

This year’s British cherry crop is set to be the biggest in recent history thanks to new tree plantings and favourable growing conditions, British Summer Fruits has reported.

With the season now officially underway, the trade body predicted that this year’s crop will come in at around 5,000 tonnes, compared to the bumper crop of 4,700t picked last year.

In addition, British cherries are reported to be bigger and juicier than normal, with younger trees and a prolonged period of warm, sunny weather helping to boost the quality of the crop.

Vernon Mascarenhas of New Covent Garden wholesaler Nature’s Choice said: “We could end up with a record cherry crop because we’ve not had much rain at all and it’s the rain that makes the cherry split.”

Over the past year, UK shoppers have spent £131 million on cherries, with customer numbers rising 5.6 per cent in the category.

Matt Hancock of supplier Norton Folgate said: “Cherries not only taste great, but they also offer fantastic health benefits and so it’s good news that they are available in abundance this summer.”