New Forest Fruit is one of the earliest growers to have British strawberries on the market, due the their location in Hampshire, southern England.
"We picked our first strawberries at the end of March, which is our usual starting time," said Sandy Booth, owner of New Forest Fruit. "The volumes were a bit slow to come on at the start, but the fruit size was similar to previous years."
© New Forest Fruit
At the end of March and into April, there were still a lot of imported strawberries on the market, but as domestic volumes increased towards the end of April, the imports dropped off. According to Sandy, the British retailers are always keen to switch to British berries when producers have enough to fill the shelves without imports.
"June is always a month when we have less fruit, but duller weather has helped a bit with fruit sizing. We are heading back to good volumes, which should continue for the next eight weeks."
Some of the main varieties being picked at the moment are: Ania, Favori, Lady Emma, Lady Grace, Florice, and Cantus.
"Demand is good at the moment, and hopefully after Wimbledon we will see this continue. Usually, every year after Wimbledon is finished, sales go down. Remember, strawberries are not just for Wimbledon, they are available till Christmas."
