Crop Report

Our British blueberries are in season from July to September. Deep blue, plump and full of flavour, they’re a simple way to bring genuine seasonality to summer menus.

The continued hot weather is placing pressure on brassica crops, with growth slowing significantly across several lines. Pest pressure has also increased, and we are working closely with suppliers to manage this where possible, despite the added challenges of limited rainfall and restrictions on pesticide use.

A concession has been introduced for cauliflower, as head weights remain below normal levels, although the product continues to meet size specification.

Red/white cabbage availability remains heavily constrained as the stored crop season comes to an end. Current concessions are helping to ease some pressure, but supply is expected to remain challenging over the 
coming weeks.

El Niño conditions in Peru continue to disrupt the growing environment, with elevated sea temperatures across the tropical Pacific creating a more volatile and less predictable climate. For asparagus, this is putting sustained pressure on crop development, spear sizing, yields and overall 
market availability.

Quality challenges have been more noticeable on some sea freighted arrivals, where extended transit times increase the risk of condition issues. To help protect product quality and maintain supply, air freight is being used where necessary to shorten journeys and reduce stress on the crop.

Even with this additional support, the broader market is expected to remain tight and difficult to navigate for the foreseeable future, with ongoing instability likely to influence both quality and availability.

El Niño conditions continue to affect avocado quality in Peru. We are due to move to a different growing region in around two weeks. This area has been less impacted by the recent weather and is expected to support an improvement in quality. In the meantime, inbound quality is being closely monitored to help minimise the impact on customers as far as possible.

Packhouse delays seen over recent weeks have now improved, and no further disruption is currently expected.

Availability from the Isle of Wight is beginning to improve following the recent heatwave, as temperatures return to more manageable levels. The disruption has affected all lines from the region, including yellow cherry and heirloom tomatoes.

The outlook is expected to improve further towards the end of the week, provided temperatures remain at lower, more stable levels.

Prolonged high temperatures are continuing to create some internal tipping in iceberg, where small brown patches develop inside the head. This is a typical response to sustained heat stress and should ease as conditions cool.

Current assessments show the issue affecting around 15–20% of heads, and in most cases the discoloured areas can be trimmed away during standard kitchen preparation without impacting the overall eating quality.

Cucumber availability will be challenging at the start of the week, although conditions are beginning to improve as the extreme temperatures ease. New Dutch plantings are expected to come through towards the end of the week, with Spanish volumes anticipated to recover next week, provided the weather continues to follow the current forecast, leading to better availability in the coming days.

Extreme temperatures continue to place significant pressure on Tenderstem® production, and availability remains challenged as crops struggle under sustained heat stress. To support continuity of supply, a proportion of air freighted product is being used to bolster volumes and maximise availability across the range.

Following a challenging period in which air freight was required to help maintain availability, supply conditions are now returning to normal. We expect to move back to sea-freight-only deliveries from next week.