Crop Report

Our strawberries and blackberries have all moved to UK supply. 

We’re seeing some exceptional early season quality on British strawberries, with the sunny days and cooler nights delivering super sweet berries. 

Supply of raspberries is tightening as we reach the end of the Moroccan season and the start of the UK one. The warmer weather in the UK is causing some issues with softer fruit and, while we have worked with suppliers to maintain supply, there are market-wide availability challenges.

All melons are now coming from the Almeria region of Spain, and there are no longer any availability issues.

However, we will maintain a close watch on the crop over the coming weeks, particularly when we move to Murcia in mid-June, as it is a particularly challenging part of the year.

The market remains very short, with the American harvest around 40% down on a standard year. 

However, we do not have any current availability issues and are sourcing produce from Portugal for the next two weeks, before we transition to Argentina. This should bridge the gap before the start of the Egyptian season at the end of July/beginning of August.

We expect market-wide availability challenges to continue through June 
and July.

We expect British basil to be available from around 2 June, when the glass grown season starts.

While there are no major issues currently, we are maintaining a close watching brief as the produce is not lasting as well as hoped in store with more wastage than we would normally expect.

Storms and heavy rain in Colombia have led to the destruction of a significant part of the crop. While we are not expecting any shortages, we will need to continue to rely on produce that is air-freighted from Kenya for the next three to four weeks until we can resume sea-freighted Colombian produce.

As we get further into the British season, availability has returned to normal following some issues with end-of-season pest problems in Spain. We are not expecting any further problems.

These fantastic seasonal lines will be in stock from 3 June and will remain available until around the end of August. These much-awaited fruits will come from Italy this year, supported by some Spanish produce. The produce will be delivered in either fully recyclable cardboard packaging or home compostable packs.

Concessions remain in place for Savoy cabbage as we utilise stored produce. The quality is such that additional leaves 
need to be stripped away, making the product smaller.

We have moved to British supply for our core lettuce lines, removing our reliance on Spanish produce.

We have seen some quality issues on prepped potatoes. We are investigating these with the supplier and have been taking steps to remove the affected stock.

Our supply is currently a mix of Spanish and British produce as we approach the end of the Spanish season and the start of the UK one. The transition is progressing well, and we are receiving our first British sweetheart from Lincolnshire, with another UK supplier due to start next week.

We are now sourcing all British produce for our cauliflower. We have been seeing some slight issues with the colour of the head, which has been caused by the warm and sunny weather we saw earlier this month. However, the more recent cool and wet weather is helping to improve this.

We are still seeing some availability issues as we transition from Spain to the start of the British season, which has been caused by pest activity in the Spanish valley growing areas. 

We do not anticipate harvesting of the UK crop to begin until the end of the week, so do not expect to receive any British produce until next week.

We are approaching the end of the British parsnip season and will transition to Spain around mid-next week.

We are pleased to report that the seasons are currently lining up well. However, we are maintaining a close watch on the Spanish crop, as there may be some problems caused by the heavy rains during the growing period.

There are some ad hoc quality challenges as we approach the end of the Spanish season, but this is not currently having an impact on supply. We are expecting the first deliveries of the new UK season 
next week.

Don’t forget to make the most of British asparagus before the season ends. This chef’s favourite will only be available until around the traditional end of the season on 21 June.

We are very pleased to report that new season speciality grapes will be available much sooner than anticipated. We now expect Sable and Cotton Candy grapes to be available as soon as the middle of June when we will see the first arrivals of Egyptian fruit. 

After a three-week weather-related delay, we are now fully into the South African season. While availability has now improved, there are still some issues on smaller sizes.

We are expecting the new season for British carrots to start at the beginning of June. 

Until we reach the new season, we are advising customers to keep carrots stored at as low a temperature as possible, which will help to maintain shelf-life and minimise any end-of-season quality issues.

Poultry Housing Orders have been removed as the Chief Veterinary Officer has decided that the risk of Avian Influenza has reduced to the extent that it is safe for birds to go outside again. Avian Influenza Protection Zones remain in place across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with enhanced biosecurity protocols in place to maximise protection of birds.