HOT TIP...STRAWBERRIES ARE IN SHOPS EARLY

Delighted growers say temperatures reminiscent of the Mediterranean are bringing a bumper harvest.

The unseasonal bounty comes after the early arrival of British asparagus which broke all records by reaching supermarket shelves a month earlier than usual on March 19.

In Cheddar, Somerset – traditional home of the British strawberry – the hot spring is ripening fruit way ahead of normal. Beaming Andrew Seager, 58, a grower in the Cheddar valley for 44 years, said: “It’s been extraordinary. The strawberries are plump, juicy and with a fantastic flavour. We picked our first ripe strawberry on April 15 and we don’t usually start picking until the May Bank Holiday weekend.

“We’ve never had such a large quantity of ripe fruit so early. We’re picking strawberries flat out and having a job keeping up.”

Andrew, who works with son Christopher, 28, and is selling dlb punnets for £2.50p in Draycott, Somerset, said: “It’s more like May or June. We had warm days and nights in April and that’s perfect for growing strawberries.”

Andrew Le Prevost, who has 110,000 plants at Tanyard Farm Nurseries in nearby Axbridge, and supplies Asda, said: “We picked our first strawberry on April 4. The sun in April made a huge difference in ripening the fruit.”