Latest news with #British-grown
Metro
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Metro
It's finally peony season — these are the best online florists to buy them from
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more In case you missed the big news — it's finally peony season. Lusciously full and layered, these show-stopping ruffled blooms are typically associated with love and romance, and come in charming shades of blush, coral, fuschia, and white. Often found in old English gardens, peony plants ooze cottagecore charm — and once established, they're hardy enough to thrive for decades, which only adds to their vintage and elegant feel. But if you want to enjoy as many bouquets of peonies as possible this year, you'll need to act quickly — as the UK season typically comes to an end around the start of July. So, that makes June a pretty precious month for lovers of those pretty powderpuff petals. If you'd like to get your hands on a beautiful bunch of these magical blooms, head to your local florist, farmer's market, or supermarket. Or – if you'd prefer to have them delivered straight to your door — these are the online delivery services to turn to for a dreamy selection of perfect peonies by post. Famous for their flower subscription services, Freddie's Flowers offer three different bouquet sizes, and keep sustainability at their core. Best of all, their peony offering is truly sensational this year — with reds, whites, and plenty of pink varieties making appearances in their current selection of seasonal bouquets. They're all stunning, but Peony Passion is our personal favourite. BUY FREDDIE'S FLOWERS PEONIES FROM £27.50 For beautiful letterbox blooms that don't break the bank, Bloom & Wild is one of our favourite delivery services. This year, there are twenty different peony arrangements to choose from — ranging from letterbox bunches and small posies, to style-at-home flowers and hand-tied bouquets. The Theo fits nicely through the letterbox, and boasts coral coloured peonies, pastel pink spray carnations, lilac stocks, and vibrant yellow solidago. BUY BLOOM & WILD PEONIES FROM £22 Not only are most Prestige Flowers bouquets available in three different sizes, they can also be sent with lovely extras like personalised message cards and free recorded messages — which is ideal if you're sending your bouquet as a gift. Simple yet effective, Peony Blush is the perfect arrangement for anyone looking for just a basic bunch of bright pink British-grown blooms. BUY PRESTIGE FLOWERS PEONIES FROM £26.99 For statement single-variety bunches of your favourite seasonal blooms, look no further than FLOWERBX. As well as being sustainably grown and cut-to-order, each stunning stem is of the absolute highest quality — all you'll need to do is plonk them in your favourite vase or jug. This year's peony collection includes nine different gorgeous varieties — but for an elegant yet understated display, you can't go wrong with ten stems of Cotton Cloud Peonies. BUY FLOWERBX PEONIES FROM £45 The UK's most ethical flower company, Arena Flowers plants two trees for every bouquet they deliver, and also only source their flowers from ethical suppliers or Fairtrade-certified farms. In terms of peonies, there are currently seven different arrangements available— with Silk Crush certainly reigning supreme if you like a vibrant mix of colours. BUY ARENA FLOWERS PEONIES FROM £28 As well as their stunning selection of luxurious hand-tied gift bouquets, Bloom delivers freshly cut market flowers — freshly cut on the farm. You select the number of stems, and they'll wrap them in brown paper, and deliver them straight to your doorstep. There are currently four different peony varieties to pick from — including these delicate dusky pink Sarah Bernhardt Pink Peonies. BUY BLOOM PEONIES FROM £45 Famous for their opulent and creative approach to floral artistry, Wild at Heart is one of the most celebrated British luxury florists. Every beautifully curated bouquet in their dazzling Peony Collection comes in four different sizes, and can be bought in 'Wilder' or 'Serene' styles. Bursting with vibrant pastel hues, Deliciously Pleasing boasts an eclectic mix of peonies, roses, sweet peas, nigellas, scabious, viburnum, and jasmine. BUY WILD AT HEART PEONIES FROM £85 Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below MORE: 'Vieve's skin-boosting primer makes me look like I've had 8 hours of sleep' MORE: Top 6 items any first-time buyer should have on their shopping list as chosen by our shopping expert MORE: 9 best BBQs and pizza ovens from Dunelm ideal for this bank holiday weekend
Scotsman
21-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
‘Shapely strawberries' and reduced whisky production - how the heat is affecting Scottish producers
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is a unseasonably warm spring spell, with temperatures reaching highs of 25.5C, that is taking its toll on some popular Scottish produce - and leading to some unexpected results. Parts of the Highlands have been hotter than Morocco this month, with a very warm, dry April and a drier and warmer than average winter leaving its mark on Scotland's growing season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With more than 100 days of sunshine, Scotland's world-class soft fruits are having a bumper - and slightly early - season. Strawberry plants, typically grown in polytunnels north of the Border, have been producing 'giant' berries as large as 50g on the back of a largely bright and dry March and April. Jill Witheyman, head of marketing at Angus Soft Fruits, said: "A strong season like this is not just great for consumers, it's vital from a grower's business perspective too. 'High-quality fruit and consistent yields help us meet customer demand, maintain strong relationships with our buyers – the supermarkets - and reinforce our reputation for excellence. Healthy, thriving crops are also more efficient to manage and harvest, supporting both the sustainability and long-term growth of our farms.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Angus Soft Fruits strawberries | Angus Soft Fruits British Berry Growers, which represents 95 per cent of all British-grown berries sold in the UK, said the flavour profile of the 2025 yield of strawberries leans towards the sweeter end of the scale, owing to unusually high sunshine levels this spring. Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, said: 'This year's early season strawberries are looking exceptional in both flavour and form. The warm weather, high-light levels and active pollination have come together beautifully. We're expecting a strong yield and outstanding taste quality this season.' Pollination from bees is also an essential factor in producing the shapely strawberry figure that consumers love. The high light levels and mild weather in the early stages of spring brought the crop forward by around seven days compared to other years, according to growers. Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at the Summer Berry Company, said: "From March onwards, it was really kind of perfect for tunnel strawberries. The berries are between 10 per cent and 20 per cent larger." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But while it is good news for those consumers who love Scottish strawberries, the warm weather, lack of rain this spring and snow this winter has not been as kind to whisky. The conditions has contributed to a much-loved Speyside distillery cutting its production days. Callum Fraser, production manager for Glenfarclas - a family-owned whisky distillery - said this is the driest he had seen the weather in all his time in his role. He said: 'Production has been halved since the end of April. This happens most years, but never this early. Normally we would start to have water issues towards the end of May into June. Callum Fraser, production manager at Glenfarclas Distillery | Supplied 'Every year we need to slow down in the drier months and schedule our production to make more in the winter months, knowing that we will be short of water in June. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This year, however, is the driest I have seen in my 13 years as manager at Glenfarclas. We had to stop production in 2018 mid-June through to mid-October due to a lack of water. It would appear that this is becoming more common than in the past.' Lack of water is also exacerbated by lack of snowfall on the hills in Speyside, with nothing falling on Ben Rinnes, the main mountain in Moray Speyside. Mr Fraser said the team were always looking for ways to save water in the whisky-making process, by reusing and recirculating. But he said the lack of snowfall was a huge issue for the water supply.
Leader Live
10-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Indoor market spot for Mold florist who shuns plastic
Following redundancy, Pauline Griffiths retrained in floristry at Northop College. After more than a decade in the industry, she started her own business - Eco Blooms North Wales - from her back garden. Over the next 12 months the 50-year-old progressed moving to a spot on the twice weekly market in Mold. She has now set up with a permanent spot within Mold's indoor market. One of the arrangements by Eco blooms North Wales in Mold. Pauline's main focus with the business is very 'green', after becoming frustrated with all the single use plastics in the industry. She said: "I offer bouquets, arrangements wedding and farewell flowers using recycled, reused and biodegradable packaging. I also where possible buy British-grown flowers. "The plastic doesn't degrade, and I've discovered that in not using plastic, you don't haven't compromise on quality." Read more: Couple to open first coffee shop after turning passion into dream business Pauline did a lot of research, including speaking with other eco-friendly florists. This has resulted in the use of moss and agra wool, which is 100% biodegradable, instead of floral foam. Summing up her first year of business, Pauline added: "It's been good, slow but steady. "I'm getting a good reputation for long-lasting flowers and being creative with my arrangements. Read more: College open events for adults looking to re-educate and learn new skills "People seem to like that I'm doing something a bit different, a bit green. "The eco side of it lends itself to being more creative with the containers I display flower in. "Customers are always bringing me things too, like tins and jam jars for displays." Pauline offers 20% off to Blue Light Card holders (a Blue Light Card and ID must be shown on ordering), and says a website is on its way but for more details, visit Eco Blooms North Wales on Facebook.
The Guardian
16-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Gail's to drop soya milk surcharge after campaign by Peta
The bakery chain Gail's is to drop its soya milk surcharge after a campaign by a leading animal rights charity argued that the fee 'unfairly discriminated' against customers. Gail's will offer free soya from 21 May for customers choosing dairy-free milk, following suit with most leading high street coffee chains, which tend to offer one – soya – for nothing. However, other dairy-free alternatives such as oat, almond and coconut milk often still come at a cost. Gail's previously charged between 40p and 60p extra if customers wanted oat or soya milk in their coffee or tea. There will still be a charge for oat milk. With at least one in three Britons now drinking plant-based milks, the animal rights charity Peta welcomed the move to help customers make more ethical choices, but also called on Gail's to drop its additional charge for oat milk. The charity's vice-president of vegan corporate projects, Dawn Carr, said: 'Charging more for plant milk leaves a bad taste in customers' mouths, particularly when it is a choice they make for their health, to be kind to cows, or for the planet. 'Peta celebrates Gail's taking the first step in offering soya without the surcharge, but to spare cows from harm and reduce methane emissions, the oat-milk upcharge also has to be ground down.' Pret a Manger stopped charging extra for plant-based milks such as oat, almond, soya and rice-coconut in the UK in 2020 after calls from animal rights advocates. Starbucks dropped its vegan milk surcharge in the UK in 2022. Leon and Joe and the Juice do not charge extra for any standard dairy-free milk alternatives. Costa Coffee and Caffè Nero do not charge for soya milk, but oat and coconut milk are an additional 45p at both. Costa also has an 'ultimate blend' plant-based milk alternative at some stores for 35p. Peta renewed its calls for these charges to be dropped. A spokesperson from Gail's said: 'We understand choice is important, which is why we're proud to offer British-grown oat milk and soya as dairy alternatives. From 21 May, there will be no additional charge for soya milk in our bakeries. We want to make it easier for everyone to enjoy their coffee or tea the way they like it, while remaining dedicated to sourcing high-quality ingredients that are both delicious and sustainable.'
BBC News
14-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sussex warm weather means strawberries will be ready for Easter
A Sussex strawberry grower says three weeks of sunshine has helped to produce a bumper crop of fruit which will be in supermarkets in time for Summer Berry Company, based in Colworth near Chichester, says recent warmer weather has helped it increase its production to 200 tonnes – 50 tonnes more than by the same time las Darnes, the company's commercial director, says he is "really excited" about the boost, with plants producing "lush-sweet tasting fruit".Tesco berry buyer Callum Baker said that the growth burst would mean an estimated 500,000 punnets of strawberries arriving at its stores in East and West Sussex. Mr Darnes added: "Strawberry plants love the English spring and summer climate; not too hot, not too cold with warm days and cool nights. This is why we produce the best strawberries in the world." Mr Baker said: "The arrival in stores of the first spring-grown British strawberries of the year creates a feel-good factor because it signifies the start of the UK fruit season and that summer is on the way."But their availability also brings a cheer from shoppers because British-grown strawberries are considered to be the best in the world because of our climate."Strawberries taste naturally sweeter when ripened in periods of sunny weather because it boosts their natural sugars."Dry conditions also enhance the flavour of the strawberries, making them firmer and more flavourful, he reporting by PA Media.
