Latest news with #NickMarston
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UK's Sunniest Spring Yields Unusually Sweet Strawberries
British strawberry farmers say this year's record-breaking spring sunshine and warm days have yielded the cream of the crop, with a bigger and sweeter harvest than usual. Long periods of sun and cool nights provided "perfect" conditions for the strawberry harvest, according to James Miller from WB Chambers Farms. The dry and pleasant weather also boosted insect pollination, which further improves the quality and shape of the berries, Miller explained, according to AFP. "They're bigger and sweeter this year than we've seen in previous years," said Miller, the commercial director for one of the country's biggest berry producers. At one farm near Dartford in Kent, southeast England, rows of strawberry plants drooped with the weight of the gleaming red fruit housed in insulating polytunnels. As farmhands made their way meticulously down the semi-circular white tunnels, punnets were filled with ripe strawberries -- some the size of small fists. The weather has resulted in "super berry size and super flavor," said Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, which represents most of the UK's soft fruit farms. "I've been in the berry industry for 30 years and this is one of the best springs I've ever seen, in terms of both the weather and also the crop," Marston told AFP. This year Britain experienced the warmest spring in terms of mean temperatures since records began in 1884, the Met Office announced this week. It was also the second-sunniest and the driest spring in over a century for England, known for its damp climate. Southeast England received only 30-50 percent of its average spring rainfall, according to the Met Office, raising fears of drought for many farmers. Human-induced climate change is driving longer-lasting, more intense and more frequent droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather events. To conserve water, the WB Chambers farm in Dartford uses drip irrigation -- which involves water slowly trickling to the roots of the plant through a controlled pipe. "We've reduced our water usage for growing strawberries quite significantly," Miller told AFP. "So I hope we're in a better place than others." According to Marston, British producers have already sold nearly 21,600 tons of strawberries -- 5,000 tons more than by the same time last year, when the country experienced an overcast spring. This is in part due to warmer conditions yielding an earlier crop than usual, with large and juicy strawberries hitting the shelves in April, rather than May. But it is also due to a rise in demand when the sun comes out, said Miller, with consumers hankering for British summer classics like strawberries and cream. "The sun is our biggest salesman in the UK," said Miller. "When the sun picks up, then the demand picks up."
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Scotsman
How climate change is sending Scots a message about living more healthily
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... With the current warm spring coming hot on the heels of a dry, mild winter, it's hard to escape the sense that climate change has well and truly arrived in Scotland. Older generations who keep a weather eye on the, er, weather may have been particularly struck by temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius and endless days without rain. However, while it is a reminder of the importance of plotting a credible and sensible path to net-zero, we should not be so over-awed by our changing circumstances that we forget to enjoy what is, after all, nice weather. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Early season strawberries have proved to be sweeter and more shapely thanks to current dry, sunny spring (Picture: Julian Finney) | Getty Images And although some farmers and the whisky industry, in particular, have been hit by the lack of rain, for soft fruit growers, the weather has been cause for celebration. Early season strawberries 'are looking exceptional in both flavour and form', according to Nick Marston, of British Berry Growers.
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.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish supermarket strawberry warning as experts 'not seen this in 19 years'
Strawberries are a staple in Irish homes, especially during the sunny spells we've been enjoying lately - perfect for picnics, desserts or just a fresh snack. Ireland takes pride in growing its own delicious strawberries, which are famous for their juicy sweetness and fresh-from-the-field flavour. But when you're shopping in supermarkets across the country, you'll often find a choice between homegrown Irish berries and imported ones from the UK and other countries. For those buying imported strawberries from the UK, an alert has been issued this summer about a so-called "giant" bumper crop in England. The strawberries this year are reportedly huge, with growers admitting some may not even fit in your mouth. UK growers told The Guardian that they have "never seen anything like it." Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at the Summer Berry Company, 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." He added that their plants are yielding "giant" 50g berries you "cannot fit in your mouth", Birmingham Live reports. Nick Marston, chair of British Berry Growers, 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." He also cautioned: "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, the cool overnight temperatures, are ideal for fruit development. The slower the development of the fruits, the more time to expand the cells and create the bigger berry. What we are now seeing is something I have never seen in 19 years, which is consistently larger berries." Marston also raised concerns about water shortages that could affect some growers, saying: "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." Closer to home, Jimmy Kearns, owner of Kearns Fruit Farm near Enniscorthy, told the Sunday Independent that Irish strawberries are expected to ripen earlier this summer thanks to the current dry spell. He said: "This year has been exceptionally good and we expect we could have a fresh crop ready for the shops two weeks earlier than usual. "I reckon we will be picking in the tunnels in early May. Irish people will be looking forward to their fruit, because the Spanish crop has really suffered from terrible storms, and growers in Egypt and Morocco have also had a bad season." Vincent Murphy of VM Fruits in Clonroche, Co Wexford, said the "perfect" weather with plenty of daylight "makes the plants happy". Around 80% of his crop is bought by Dunnes Stores, and he predicts roadside strawberry stands will be appearing earlier this year.
Wales Online
18-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
UK strawberry warning at Tesco, M&S and Sainsbury's as experts 'never seen anything like it'
UK strawberry warning at Tesco, M&S and Sainsbury's as experts 'never seen anything like it' The strawberry season will be one to remember as they are '20% larger' than usual There is expected to be a 'giant' bumper crop A warning has been issued to strawberry fans purchasing from major UK supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Asda, and M&S this summer. Customers have been warned about an exceptionally large "giant" bumper crop of strawberries. This year's harvest is producing unusually large strawberries, raising concerns they may not fit in people's mouths. UK growers have expressed amazement at the size of this season's crop with comments indicating it's unprecedented, reports Birmingham Live. Bartosz Pinkosz, Operations Director at the Summer Berry Company, has been quoted saying: "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." He also pointed out that their strawberry plants are yielding "giant" 50g berries that you "cannot fit in your mouth". From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here . British Berry Growers' Chairman Nick Marston has noted: "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." Article continues below Marston added: "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, the cool overnight temperatures, are ideal for fruit development. "The slower the development of the fruits, the more time to expand the cells and create the bigger berry. What we are now seeing is something I have never seen in 19 years, which is consistently larger berries. "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 super-sized – growing to the size of plums or even Kiwi fruits." This timely occurrence coincides with Wimbledon in July, where tennis fans will savour these strawberries with cream or sugar. Article continues below "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," the website confirmed.
