British strawberry season 'is late but worth the wait' trends now

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The British strawberry season has arrived slightly late but the fruit will be bigger and sweeter than previous years, according to growers.

British Berry Growers said the cooler spring weather had resulted in a slower ripening period, with fruit arriving on shop shelves around a month later than last year's first harvests.

However, the longer growing time had produced larger berries than last year, while the recent sunny days and cooler nights had boosted their sugar content, making them sweeter and juicier.

Cooler nights allow strawberry plants to rest well and put their energy gained from the day into producing high natural sugars at night.

From March until mid-May, British strawberries are grown in glasshouses before moving to poly-tunnels between May and September, and then returning to glasshouses in October.