UK strawberry alert at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and M&S amid 'never seen anything like it' reports

North Wales Live

18-05-2025

Supermarket shoppers looking to buy strawberries this summer have been given a heads-up about what to expect. Lovers of the fruit have been told to prepare for an extraordinary bumper crop of "giant" berries this season.
The strawberries are reportedly of unprecedented size, so much so that growers suspect some may be too big to fit into consumers' mouths. Some told the Guardian newspaper they'd "never seen anything like it" before.
Bartosz Pinkosz, of the Summer Berry Company, said he's been finding huge berries weighing as much as 50g. He said: "We had the darkest January and February since the 70s but then the brightest March and April since 1910. From March onwards it was really kind of perfect for tunnel strawberries. The berries are between 10% and 20% larger."
Nick Marston, of British Berry Growers, which represents almost all British producers, is expecting impressive crops this summer, reports Birmingham Live. Lots of sunshine and strong bee pollination have helped produce the classic strawberry that consumers demand.
He said: "We're seeing very good size, shape, appearance, and most of all, really great flavour and sugar content, which is what consumers want when they buy British strawberries.
"I'm always a little cautious of saying strawberries are 20% bigger because there's an average involved and some crops will be slightly smaller than others. But I think it would be fair to say the very nice sunshine, and the cool overnight temperatures, are ideal for fruit development.
"The slower the development of the fruits, the more time they have to expand the cells and create a bigger berry. What we are now seeing is something I have never seen in 19 years, which is consistently larger berries." Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
Given the vagaries of the weather, growers are naturally cautious and Mr Marston said there was a potential cloud on the horizon: the conditions that got the growing season off to a flying start might yet come back to haunt fruit growers.
With a drought alert already issued, he expressed concerns that water shortages could pose problems for some growers later in the season.
Even this cannot deflate the sector's current optimism. Mr Marston added: "It has been a perfect start to the strawberry season for us ... I have genuinely never seen a harvest produce such large berries consistently. Some are supersized – growing to the size of plums or even kiwi fruits."
Until recently, the UK's favourite strawberry was a Dutch variety known as Elsanta. Its disease resistance and high, consistent yields made it a hit with growers.
However, many consumers found Elsanta somewhat tasteless, prompting growers and retailers to seek an alternative. So far this year, the prospects are looking good.
This news comes as Wimbledon prepares to host its annual tournament in July, when tennis enthusiasts will devour countless strawberries with cream or sugar. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
On the All England Club's website, the tournament's organisers insisted only the best will be served. "Our world-famous berries are hand-picked and delivered to the All England Club each morning where they are inspected by our Food and Drink team to make sure only the best are served to our guests," they confirmed.