Latest news with #MarionRegan
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
What is your favourite fruit?
We know food shopping with your parents can be a bore, but next time you are in the fruit and veg section, take a quick look at the may notice this spring's bumper crop of strawberries are HUGE!According to UK farmers, the "glorious spring weather" has meant the strawberry season is off to a "stonking start". According to The Met Office, this spring is currently one of the driest and warmest in over a century, and that has been good news for some fruit growers. We wat to hear from you about your favorite fruits - is it "stonking" strawberries or something else? Join in our vote and leave us a comment below. Marion Regan, who works for Hugh Lowe Farms, who provide Wimbledon with their famous strawberries, said this year's crop were sweeter than ever. Warm days and cool nights are known to make strawberries sweeter as the lower night temperatures allow them to rest and put the energy they have gained during the day into producing more natural we wonder if strawberries are top of the shops when it comes to your favourite fruit. Why not choose which fruits you like snacking on best from our list below. You can upvote three different fruits so take your time to decide which is your main squeeze...! And if your favourite isn't on the list, choose "Something else" and let us know what we have missed.
ITV News
19-05-2025
- Climate
- ITV News
Why your strawberries are going to be bigger and sweeter this year
However you like to eat your strawberries - with cream, sugar, or as Sir Andy Murray once quipped "with my fingers" - this season is set to be one the sweetest and most shapely on record. The bumper harvest of strawberries is down to an unusually sunny spring, with the highest levels recorded by the Met Office in more than 100 years, paired with some cooler weather, which has allowed the crop to develop slowly with sweeter results. Heightened bee activity during March and April has also resulted in excellent pollination - an essential factor in producing the classic strawberry shape. Marion Regan from the Kent-based Hugh Lowe Farms praised the "glorious spring this year which has contributed to a really good crop of the fruit." "We have been noticing that this year's berries were a good size so far but that the most marked thing was their sweetness and full flavour," she said. Peter Judge from British Berry Growers added this year's weather conditions have allowed the crops to deveop slowly. "This has supported the creation of strong root systems, which create a really strong engine for the plants to grow fantastic fruit with excellent levels of natural sugars," he added. Hugh Lowe Farms count Wimbledon tennis among one of their clients, with those attending likely to be the benefactors of this year's crop - with the iconic of pairing of cream. British Berry Growers also stress this year's harvest is producing a wide variety of strawberries with differing flavour profiles. "I'd encourage consumers to look out for the varieties on packs and try something new this year. There's so much choice now that there really is a strawberry for every palate," said Judge. The high light levels and mild weather in the early stages of spring also brought the crop forward by around seven days compared to other years, according to growers. But they also say they expect to see this continue throughout the season. Marion Regan added: "Given that we are at the front end of the season we're excited to see this trend continue to deliver fantastic berries to supermarket shelves from now until November.'
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Why this year's strawberries are set to be sweeter
This year's strawberries are 'markedly' sweeter than usual, a grower has said, after the 2025 season got off to a 'stonking start'. A 'glorious spring' this year has contributed to a 'really good crop' of strawberries, according to Marion Regan, the managing director of Hugh Lowe Farms – which supplies strawberries to the Wimbledon tennis tournament, set to start on 30 June. Ms Regan, who has grown strawberries for more than half a century, told the BBC that, while this year's strawberries have been a 'good size' so far, the 'most marked thing' is how sweet they have been. Strawberries are known to be sweeter when the days are bright and the nights are cool, which enables the plants to rest overnight and use the more plentiful energy gained during the day to produce more natural sugars. With a total of 228.9 sunshine hours, nearly 50 per cent higher than average in previous years, this April was the UK's sunniest since records began in 1910, according to the Met Office. It is also the driest spring in 61 years, and the Environment Agency is warning that there is a 'medium' risk of a drought this summer unless significant rainfall arrives. Noting that while 'all farmers could do with the rain', Ms Regan said she has irrigation systems in place to ensure her crops receive a steady supply of water throughout the strawberry growing season, which lasts until November. The spate of warm, sunny weather has continued for most this weekend, with the Met Office forecasting highs of 23C in some areas – making parts of the country hotter than Ibiza. Temperatures are set to remain mild this week, with a mixture of sunshine and showers expected before a weather system moving in from the Atlantic brings more unsettled conditions heading into the bank holiday weekend, according to the Met Office. Ms Regan's remarks echoed those from fellow strawberry growers earlier in the season. Pauline Goodall, a farmer from Limington told the BBC earlier this month that her fruits were 'just ripening at a phenomenal rate' thanks to the warmer weather, while the Summer Berry Company, near Chichester, said its plants were producing 'lush-sweet tasting fruit'.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will 2025 be a sweet year for strawberry growers and consumers?
The UK's strawberry season is off to a "stonking start", according to one grower, with warm days and cooler nights meaning they are sweeter than usual. Marion Regan, managing director of Kent-based Hugh Lowe Farms, told the BBC that a "glorious spring" this year had contributed to a "really good crop" of the fruit. That is good news for strawberry lovers, including those attending Wimbledon this year - one of Hugh Lowe Farms' clients. This spring is currently ranking as the driest in over a century, according to the Met Office, with the Environment Agency recently warning there is a "medium" risk of a summer drought. Ms Regan, who has been growing strawberries for more than 50 years, said she was noticing that this year's were a "good size" so far but that the "most marked thing" was their sweetness. A combination of warm days and cool nights are known to make strawberries sweeter. The lower night temperatures allow them to rest and put the energy they have gained during the day into producing more natural sugars. However, Ms Regan said it remained to be seen what the rest of their growing season - which lasts until November - would bring. Asked about the warnings over potential drought conditions, she said that she, like all good soft fruit growers, have irrigation systems in place to mitigate the effects of extreme weather and to ensure their crops get a steady supply with water. Nevertheless, some help from mother nature would not go amiss. "All farmers could do with the rain, it would be nice," she added. Pauline Goodall, a strawberry farmer from Limington in Somerset, told the BBC earlier this month that a warmer than average start to May was having a noticeable effect on the timing of this year's harvest. "They're just ripening at a phenomenal rate," she said of her strawberries. The Summer Berry Company, based in Colworth near Chichester, recently said that the warmer weather had helped increase its production to 200 tonnes – 50 tonnes more than by the same time last year - and that the plants were producing "lush-sweet tasting fruit". This all bodes well for consumers keen to get their berry fix over summer, but how should we be making the most of these sweet flavours? While some people may prefer to keep it classic with cream, there are other options available for those who are looking to be more adventurous. According to the BBC Food, a little black pepper or balsamic vinegar helps to give them more flavour, while pairing them with some form of chilli can help balance the flavours out. This year marks a very different start to the strawberry-growing season than in 2024, when the fruit was delayed in ripening following one of the wettest winters on record. Scientists have said climate change was a major factor in this weather. It is also well-established that human-caused climate change is making spells of hot weather more likely, and that hot days have become more common in the UK. Over the decade 2014-2023, days exceeded 28C more than twice as often as the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office. BBC Weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said the coming week should provide some good strawberry-growing weather with long spells of sunshine and cool nights. A few showers could come in the first half of the week, and some could turn to thunder and hail, which would not be welcomed by growers although the risk to individual farms would be very low. A change in weather patterns next weekend and the following week would lead to rain becoming widespread, which would "probably welcomed by farmers given that this spring is likely to be the driest in over a century", he added. Four ways your plants could be affected by hot spring weather 'Warm weather means strawberries are Easter ready'
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Will 2025 be a sweet year for strawberry growers and consumers?
The UK's strawberry season is off to a "stonking start", according to one grower, with warm days and cooler nights meaning they are sweeter than usual. Marion Regan, managing director of Kent-based Hugh Lowe Farms, told the BBC that a "glorious spring" this year had contributed to a "really good crop" of the fruit. That is good news for strawberry lovers, including those attending Wimbledon this year - one of Hugh Lowe Farms' clients. This spring is currently ranking as the driest in over a century, according to the Met Office, with the Environment Agency recently warning there is a "medium" risk of a summer drought. Ms Regan, who has been growing strawberries for more than 50 years, said she was noticing that this year's were a "good size" so far but that the "most marked thing" was their sweetness. A combination of warm days and cool nights are known to make strawberries sweeter. The lower night temperatures allow them to rest and put the energy they have gained during the day into producing more natural sugars. However, Ms Regan said it remained to be seen what the rest of their growing season - which lasts until November - would bring. Asked about the warnings over potential drought conditions, she said that she, like all good soft fruit growers, have irrigation systems in place to mitigate the effects of extreme weather and to ensure their crops get a steady supply with water. Nevertheless, some help from mother nature would not go amiss. "All farmers could do with the rain, it would be nice," she added. Pauline Goodall, a strawberry farmer from Limington in Somerset, told the BBC earlier this month that a warmer than average start to May was having a noticeable effect on the timing of this year's harvest. "They're just ripening at a phenomenal rate," she said of her strawberries. The Summer Berry Company, based in Colworth near Chichester, recently said that the warmer weather had helped increase its production to 200 tonnes – 50 tonnes more than by the same time last year - and that the plants were producing "lush-sweet tasting fruit". This all bodes well for consumers keen to get their berry fix over summer, but how should we be making the most of these sweet flavours? While some people may prefer to keep it classic with cream, there are other options available for those who are looking to be more adventurous. According to the BBC Food, a little black pepper or balsamic vinegar helps to give them more flavour, while pairing them with some form of chilli can help balance the flavours out. This year marks a very different start to the strawberry-growing season than in 2024, when the fruit was delayed in ripening following one of the wettest winters on record. Scientists have said climate change was a major factor in this weather. It is also well-established that human-caused climate change is making spells of hot weather more likely, and that hot days have become more common in the UK. Over the decade 2014-2023, days exceeded 28C more than twice as often as the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office. BBC Weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said the coming week should provide some good strawberry-growing weather with long spells of sunshine and cool nights. A few showers could come in the first half of the week, and some could turn to thunder and hail, which would not be welcomed by growers although the risk to individual farms would be very low. A change in weather patterns next weekend and the following week would lead to rain becoming widespread, which would "probably welcomed by farmers given that this spring is likely to be the driest in over a century", he added. Four ways your plants could be affected by hot spring weather 'Warm weather means strawberries are Easter ready'
