Crop Report

Supply of raspberries remains tight as we reach the end of the Moroccan season and the start of the British one. The warmer weather in the UK is causing some issues with softer fruit and, while we have worked with suppliers to grade out affected product and maintain supply, there are market-wide availability challenges. We expect around another week or so before we are fully into the UK market.

There is better news for strawberries, where we’re seeing some exceptional early season quality, with the sunny days and cooler nights delivering super sweet berries. 

There have been some Port Authority delays, which have caused some issues. While that is a short-term issue, we are expecting some more significant challenges at the end of June and into July, when we anticipate the South African season will finish earlier than expected due to frosts. 

With northern hemisphere planting taking place later than planned, we will be monitoring the situation very closely over the coming weeks as the transition will 
be difficult.

The market remains very short, with the American harvest around 40% down on a standard year, although there are still some limited stocks available from that origin. 

While we do not have any current availability issues, we are expecting market-wide challenges during July. We will continue to source produce from Portugal for around another week or so, 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.

However, a recent sandstorm has affected one of the growing regions in Egypt and we are working with suppliers to assess the impact on the upcoming harvest.

We are expecting the new season for British carrots to begin in 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.

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.

Availability has improved significantly following the slow start to the South African season. While some issues remain on smaller sizes, it is a much-improved picture.

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. 

These fantastic seasonal lines are now available again. They will remain in stock until around the end of August. These much-awaited fruits will come from Italy this year, supported by some Spanish produce. The fruit 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.

Availability is currently good, with all melons now coming from the Almeria region of Spain. 

However, this is one of the most challenging periods of the year, and we are working with suppliers to manage the transition to the Murcia region in mid to end-June, which has the potential to be difficult.

As we approach the end of the British season, there are some issues with quality. However, we are expecting some delayed stocks from France and Spain and, once they arrive, we expect to see an improvement in quality.

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 expect to be all-British by the end of 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. 

After a challenging transition to the UK, availability is improving, bringing some additional colour to the menu and easing the supply issues that we’ve seen in the past couple of weeks.

The British parsnip season should come to an end this week, and will be replaced by Spanish produce.

As we transition, we will be maintaining a close watch on the Spanish crop, as there may be some problems caused by the heavy rains during the growing period.

The majority of supply has transitioned to the UK. There are some ad hoc quality challenges with the final supplies from Spain, as we approach the end of the season.

We only have around three weeks left of the British asparagus season, so ensure you make the most of this chef’s favourite before its short season ends.

The good news is that the British basil season will start this week.