British grown asparagus has hit the shelves at Tesco three weeks earlier than usual due to mild winter conditions and recent fine weather across England.
The supermarket started selling the Jubilee variety yesterday (March 30).
The asparagus, known for being tender and sweet, is grown by Suffolk-based producers in an exclusive deal with Tesco that started in 2012.
According to the retailer, the British variety is renowned for its taste because of the ideal conditions in the east Anglian county which has the right balance of soil, sun and rain. And unseasonably good weather in recent days has pushed the season forward even more.
In the past, Jubilee has been not ready until April but this season, due to recent high levels of sunshine and an overall mild winter, harvesting has started early and supply will likely last until June.
“This is a brilliant opportunity for customers who love English asparagus, to enjoy it unusually early in the year,” says Tesco produce buying manager, David Daniels.
“Thanks to the mild weather of late, our grower in Suffolk has been able to produce enough asparagus to supply stores across the UK, which is really quite a feat.
“The Jubilee asparagus is regarded as one of the best varieties in the world, and with its delicate sweet and nutty taste, it’s perfect for a healthy spring salad.”
Tesco’s Jubilee asparagus cost £2.50 for a 160g pack.
Cut-price carrots
In addition, next week Tesco will be selling English carrots for 29 pence thanks to an unusually large crop which has also matured early. The retailer is taking an extra one million carrots from growers and the cut-price vegetables will be in store from Wednesday April 5.
This follows Tesco buying surplus volumes of cauliflower last week after crops also peaked because of good weather.
This is part of the retailer’s food waste commitments which includes supporting farmers when they have increased yields. The carrots are part of the store’s Redmere Farm range and are reduced from 45p to 29p for a 1kg bag.
“We’re passionate about working in partnership with our suppliers so that no edible food goes to waste,” adds Daniels.
“This is the latest bumper crop that we been able to take in recent months which has also included great deals for customers on cauliflowers, strawberries, cherries and lettuces.”
