Nearly three weeks of fantastic sunshine have brought on the first commercial quantities of British-grown strawberries of 2025. And great news for strawberry lovers is that the fruit will start arriving in some Tesco stores in time for Easter.

The strawberries, which are being picked at the moment, have been grown by West Sussex growers, The Summer Berry Company, who are based in Colworth, near Chichester.

The extra sunshine and recent warmer weather in general has helped them produce nearly 200 tonnes of fruit – about 50 tonnes more than the same time last year. That’s an estimated 500,000 punnets of strawberries that will initially hit Tesco stores in East and West Sussex and perhaps surrounding counties.

Tesco berry buyer Callum Baker said:

“The arrival in stores of the first Spring-grown British strawberries of the year creates a feel-good factor because it signifies the start of the UK fruit season and that summer is on the way."

“But their availability also brings a cheer from shoppers because British grown strawberries are considered to be the best in the world because of our climate."

“Strawberries taste naturally sweeter when ripened in periods of sunny weather because it boosts their natural sugars. Dry conditions also enhance their flavour as the lack of rain helps make the fruit firmer and more flavourful.”

The strawberry varieties going into Tesco stores are called Malling Centenary and Fandango and have been chosen for their superb eating quality and flavour. They both have a vivid colour and produce large berries that are not too crunchy.

Last year, The Summer Berry Company, together with another grower, Wicks Farm – both based in West Sussex, became the first UK growers to produce commercial quantities of strawberries all year long.

For Christmas the innovative berry growers produced a record-breaking 38 tonnes of the fruit for the festive period – an increase of 40 per cent on the same period in 2023.

The Summer Berry Company’s Commercial Director Jack Darnes said:

“With all the recent sunshine, the team at The Summer Berry Company can’t help but feel optimistic about the season ahead. We’re really excited about the boost in strawberry production to kick off the first big harvests of the British season. The warm weather, combined with our innovative growing methods, means the plants are healthy and producing lush, sweet-tasting fruit."

“Strawberry plants love the English spring and summer climate; not too hot, not too cold with warm days and cool nights. This is why we produce the best strawberries in the world!”