Growers report excellent conditions that could lead to a rise in demand for British fruit
Consumers can look forward to an excellent British apple season, according to Tesco.
The retailer noted that British growers have enjoyed near-perfect growing conditions that saw long hours of sunshine during the summer and plenty of rainfall in recent weeks.
Many apple growers are forecasting a very strong yield of high-quality fruit landing on supermarket shelves over the autumn months, Tesco said, with the supermarket predicting British apple demand to be up 10 per cent on last season.
It continues a strong summer for British fruit, which saw high-quality, bumper crops of British-grown strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries, which Tesco said led to high demand from shoppers.
Tesco apple buyer Paul Curtis said: “We’ve had one of the best summers for British-grown fruit in recent years, with lots of sunshine helping to raise sugar levels and create classic berries and cherries. That’s clearly gone down well with shoppers, resulting in high demand throughout the summer months.
“But there’s more good news on the way for the start of the apple season with our growers reporting great-quality fruit coming through.”
Leading apple grower Adrian Scripps, based near Tonbridge in Kent, said the excellent growing conditions has produced one of the best quality crops in recent years. The company added that the warmer weather in the six to eight weeks after the apple crop had bloomed was particularly beneficial in producing classic fruit with great skin colour and a fantastic flavour.
Adrian Scripps’ managing director James Simpson said: “The fruit coming through is very attractive with an excellent skin finish, whereas last season we saw a level of russeting to the skin.
“Overall colour is very good with the varieties now being harvested and this is improving markedly with the later-season apples such as Kanzi and Pink Lady. The cooler nights that we usually see in September will help the fruit colour up.
“Perhaps most important of all though is that the flavour is fantastic – some of the best we’ve seen in recent years. This is undoubtedly due to the gloriously sunny warm weather seen through late July and August.”
The demand for more fruit comes as Tesco launched a campaign this summer to help the nation get more of its 5 A Day. Families were offered personalised Clubcard rewards on fruit and veg throughout the summer, with free fruit available for kids in Tesco stores.
