Crop Report

Chefs always look forward to the arrival of the British asparagus season, which runs for a short window from St George’s Day (23 April) to the summer solstice (21 June). British asparagus is prized for its sweeter, fresher flavour, thanks to the speed at which it’s harvested and eaten. With such a limited season, we recommend ordering early to make the most of this exceptional product.

Tenderstem® supply continues to be significantly impacted across all major growing regions due to adverse weather and ongoing logistical disruption. Spain, Portugal, Egypt, and Kenya are all facing crop or freight challenges, leading to reduced availability across the wider market.

Growing conditions are now improving, which will support recovery, but we expect the next few weeks to remain challenging. Despite this, we do not anticipate major issues with our own supply.

There are market wide shortages, with both crops affected by the excessive heat in Egypt. Conditions are more positive in Kenya, where early volumes are now coming through. However, freight options remain limited, meaning a full recovery is likely to take time.

We are working closely with suppliers to accelerate recovery where possible, explore supplementary routes, and activate additional mitigation measures to protect availability.

Improving weather in Spain is helping to close the planting gap caused by poor conditions earlier in the season. The market remains very challenging, but we continue to work closely with suppliers to minimise any impact on customers.

 
Early indications suggest we may be able to source some initial UK Little Gem at the very end of April, which would help ease current pressures, although this remains subject to change given how early it is. More broadly, we expect to transition to UK supply in early May.

The market remains extremely challenging, with very limited supply coming through from key growing regions. As a result, we have taken the decision to begin the transition to Dutch product earlier than usual and ahead of the wider market. This shift will begin this week and should help ease some of the current pressure.

Volumes from Spain remain significantly reduced following earlier adverse weather, which created a planting gap that has yet to recover. As a result, we expect market shortages this week, with florets facing similar pressure and likely shortfalls.

These challenges are expected to continue over the next couple of weeks. We are working closely with all suppliers to manage availability and activate contingency measures where possible.

Strawberry availability has improved significantly, with the Spanish season now in full swing. We do not anticipate any further issues.

The market for raspberries and blueberries remains very tight, though we are beginning to see the first signs of recovery.

Volumes of small lemons will remain tight for the next few weeks while the South African season gets fully underway. Early season fruit is showing a slight green tinge, which is entirely normal and does not affect eating quality. This is expected to continue for the next two to three weeks, as we moved to South African supply around a month earlier than planned due to the difficult Spanish season.

Shipping from Senegal has improved, which has helped ensure better availability. However, the situation remains fragile. 

Concessions remain in place for savoy cabbages and cabbages on weight, following the earlier poor growing conditions. Cabbages are also being affected by oedema, for which a separate concession has been agreed.

High temperatures in Mexico are creating difficult growing conditions, prompting an earlier than planned transition to Peru. We are working closely with suppliers to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted changeover.

The British asparagus season also begins this week, so keep an eye out for new season product.

Due to unseasonal weather in Central America, the growing season has ended earlier than anticipated. We have introduced a concession to maintain availability as we manage the transition into the Spanish season.