UK: Tomatoes that thrive in endless summers

It’s one of the UK’s biggest tomato sources, hidden in a secret corner of the Fens under the shadow of British Sugar’s flagship beet factory. During Red Tractor Week, STACIA BRIGGS visits Cornerways, Britain’s biggest glasshouse.

The towering silos of the Wissington sugar factory dominate the skyline near Downham Market but its neighbour is a far more arresting sight from the air.

Tucked away from the road, down tracks that buzz with activity, is the UK’s largest greenhouse. Bigger than 18 football pitches put together and housing more tomato plants than anywhere else in the country, it’s Stoke Ferry’s secret tropical tomato forest.

“When it’s cold outside, I like to come into the greenhouses before I go to my office,” said Cornerways’ general manager, Patrick Harte.

“It’s like the feeling you get when you step off an aeroplane into a warm country. Whatever the weather’s like outside, it’s always summer in the greenhouses.”
Feature on Cornerways Nursery, which produces many different types of tomatoes. Picture: Matthew Usher.

Source: www.edp24.co.uk