The first British strawberries of the year went on sale in supermarkets across the country yesterday, signalling the end of winter and the start of spring.
The popular fruit was made available at 25 Morrisons stores around the south of England, while Tesco confirmed it will sell its first home grown strawberries from today, starting in 15 stores in Kent.
Sainsburys, Asda and Waitrose are also expected to stock their first crop of 2010 British-grown strawberries over the coming days.
Tesco strawberry buyer Ben Reed said: “Not only are we enjoying the first warm weather of the year this week but we’ve also now got the first British strawberries which means that summer is well and truly on the way.”
“The arrival of the first home grown strawberries is extremely significant – not only does it herald the start of British Summer Time but it is also the start of the UK growing season.”
“Many shoppers think of the first home grown strawberries as being bitter and hard but the ones we’ve got our hands on are delicious.”
Nicki Baggott, soft fruit buyer for Waitrose, added: “The first British strawberry signifies the end of winter and heralds the arrival of spring. This explains why it’s the ultimate feel good fruit – and one which retailers are clamouring to get on shelves as early as they can.”
The British strawberry season can now last for up to 10 months a year – four months longer than in 2003 – thanks to modern horticulture techniques.
