Best crop of strawberries in 20 years

Monday 09 May 2011

The spring heatwave has led to the biggest and best English strawberry crop for 20 years.

One major supermarket chain has cut its foreign imports of strawberries by 50 per cent thanks to the glut of home-grown fruit.

R&V Emery, one of England's largest strawberry growers, said it was the earliest start to the season for about 20 years. The season started two weeks early and higher sugar levels have made the crop much sweeter and juicier than normal.

Suggested Topics
Voices

You can't screw your way to the top

voicesGood for Lana Del Rey for helping kill that myth, writes Grace Dent
News
The University of California study monitored the reaction of 36 dogs

Dogs get jealous too

sciencePets' range of emotions revealed
Life and Style

Artistic underwear gives a lesson in female anatomy

fashion Designs are part of feminist art project by a British student
Arts and Entertainment
The nomination of 'The Wake' by Paul Kingsnorth has caused a stir

Booker Prize gets first crowdfunded nominee

books
PROMOTED VIDEO
Life and Style

Mark Hix on Game

ebookA wonderful selection of salads, starters and mains featuring venison, grouse and other game
Arts and Entertainment
The Tour de France peloton rides over a bridge on the Grinton Moor, Yorkshire, earlier this month

Tour de France effect brings Hollywood blockbusters to Yorkshire

film
News
Snoop Dogg pictured at The Hollywood Reporter Nominees' Night in February, 2013

'I smoked weed in the White House bathroom'

people... says Snoop Dogg
News

No, Stop The War did not call for a war with Israel

i100
Life and Style

Stripey steaks

food + drinkZebra meat is exotic and lean - but does it taste good?
Arts and Entertainment
Residents of Derby Road in Southampton oppose filming of Channel 4 documentary Immigration Street in their community

'Immigration Street' tells producers: Go back to where you came from

tv
Voices

I used to be a Woman Against Feminism too

voicesSiobhan Norton on why she eventually changed her mind
News

Just where are Gazans supposed to evacuate to?

i100
Extras

Feet treat: 10 best pedicure products

indybest
Sport
Scottish singer Susan Boyle will perform at the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Glasgow

Scotland's most famous sons and daughters set to welcome Games

commonwealth games
Arts and Entertainment
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson stars in Hercules

'It's unclear whether Hercules is a full-on spoof or made in earnest'

filmReview: The Rock is a muscular Davy Crockett in this preposterous film, says Geoffrey Macnab
Life and Style

Unlock your smartphone – with a digital tattoo

tech
Life & Style blogs

Fashion’s musical chairs commence anew, as Christophe Lemaire leaves Hermes

A little bit of history repeating: something old makes something new, at Raf Simons’ Dior and Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel

Chinese Whispers at Versace, Frankenstein’s Monster at Schiaparelli. Haute couture autumn/winter 2014

Have you tried new the Independent Digital Edition apps?

independent images

SPONSORED FEATURES

Topman: Tips from top stylists

Shop London has teamed up with Topman. View the latest film clips shot at Topman Oxford Circus, plus your chance to win a £1,500 voucher.

Win a holiday The Gambia London Trend
Cycling Holiday wardrobe Specsavers
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

Win a tailor-made trip to Graubünden, Switzerland’s No. 1 holiday destination

Discover Swiss alpine holidays – your way

Topman The Gambia London Trend
Cycling Holiday wardrobe Specsavers
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

The Gambia in the Summer

The Gambia may be the smallest country in mainland Africa but this is no reflection of it rich versatile offering.

Topman Win a holiday London Trend
Cycling Holiday wardrobe Specsavers
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

#fashionhappy film competition

Calling all fashionistas! Enter our film competition to win a £2,000 Westfield Gift Card plus an internship at London Live.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
Cycling Holiday wardrobe Specsavers
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

Win a family FreeCycle weekend experience

This summer we’ve teamed up with Prudential to offer readers a brilliant opportunity to get the whole family together to experience the fun and freedom of cycling around a 10-mile traffic-free circuit in central London.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
London Trend Holiday wardrobe Specsavers
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

Update your holiday wardrobe

Update your holiday wardrobe with tropical prints, the perfect pair of sandals and some seriously stylish swimwear to make a splash in. Bon voyage.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
London Trend Cycling Specsavers
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

Summer Sports Lux

From silk track pants to a swimsuit to make a splash in, this summer’s sport lux moment is certain to stretch your style credentials.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
London Trend Cycling Holiday wardrobe
#editme Prizes & offers Business videos

Get the look. See the trends.

Westfield and Snapfashion team up to create a new digital styling tool. Create a style board or browse this season's trends. #editme.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
London Trend Cycling Holiday wardrobe
Specsavers Prizes & offers Business videos

Enter the latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
London Trend Cycling Holiday wardrobe
Specsavers #editme Business videos

Business videos from commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

Topman Win a holiday The Gambia
London Trend Cycling Holiday wardrobe
Specsavers #editme Prizes & offers
Independent Dating
and  

By clicking 'Search' you
are agreeing to our
Terms of Use.

ES Rentals

    iJobs Job Widget
    iJobs Food & Drink

    C++ Software Engineer - Hounslow, West London - C++ - to £60K +

    £40000 - £60000 per annum + Pension, Healthcare : Deerfoot IT Resources Limite...

    VB.NET and C# developer (VB.NET,C#,ASP.NET)

    £30000 - £45000 per annum + Bonus+Benefits+Package: Harrington Starr: VB.NET a...

    Visitor Experience volunteer

    Unpaid voluntary role: Old Royal Naval College: To assist the Visitor Experien...

    Telesales Manager. Paddington, London

    £45-£55k OTE £75k : Charter Selection: Major London International Fashion and ...

    View the latest Catering, Travel and Hospitality jobs on iJobs.

    Day In a Page

    Noel Fielding's 'Luxury Comedy': A land of the outright bizarre

    Noel Fielding's 'Luxury Comedy'

    A land of the outright bizarre
    What are the worst 'Word Crimes'?

    What are the worst 'Word Crimes'?

    ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic's latest video is an ode to good grammar. But what do The Independent’s experts think he’s missed out?
    Can Secret Cinema sell 80,000 'Back to the Future' tickets?

    The worst kept secret in cinema

    A cult movie event aims to immerse audiences of 80,000 in ‘Back to the Future’. But has it lost its magic?
    Facebook: The new hatched, matched and dispatched

    The new hatched, matched and dispatched

    Family events used to be marked in the personal columns. But now Facebook has usurped the ‘Births, Deaths and Marriages’ announcements
    Why do we have blood types?

    Are you my type?

    All of us have one but probably never wondered why. Yet even now, a century after blood types were discovered, it’s a matter of debate what they’re for
    Honesty box hotels: You decide how much you pay

    Honesty box hotels

    Five hotels in Paris now allow guests to pay only what they think their stay was worth. It seems fraught with financial risk, but the honesty policy has its benefit
    Commonwealth Games 2014: Why weight of pressure rests easy on Michael Jamieson’s shoulders

    Michael Jamieson: Why weight of pressure rests easy on his shoulders

    The Scottish swimmer is ready for ‘the biggest race of my life’ at the Commonwealth Games
    Some are reformed drug addicts. Some are single mums. All are on benefits. But now these so-called 'scroungers’ are fighting back

    The 'scroungers’ fight back

    The welfare claimants battling to alter stereotypes
    Amazing video shows Nasa 'flame extinguishment experiment' in action

    Fireballs in space

    Amazing video shows Nasa's 'flame extinguishment experiment' in action
    A Bible for billionaires

    A Bible for billionaires

    Find out why America's richest men are reading John Brookes
    Paranoid parenting is on the rise - and our children are suffering because of it

    Paranoid parenting is on the rise

    And our children are suffering because of it
    For sale: Island where the Magna Carta was sealed

    Magna Carta Island goes on sale

    Yours for a cool £4m
    Phone hacking scandal special report: The slide into crime at the 'News of the World'

    The hacker's tale: the slide into crime at the 'News of the World'

    Glenn Mulcaire was jailed for six months for intercepting phone messages. James Hanning tells his story in a new book. This is an extract
    We flinch, but there are degrees of paedophilia

    We flinch, but there are degrees of paedophilia

    Child abusers are not all the same, yet the idea of treating them differently in relation to the severity of their crimes has somehow become controversial
    The truth about conspiracy theories is that some require considering

    The truth about conspiracy theories is that some require considering

    For instance, did Isis kill the Israeli teenagers to trigger a war, asks Patrick Cockburn