Britain, home of the VERY big apple
SHARP spring frosts mean giant English apples, nearly three times the usual size, are appearing in shops.
The supersize Braeburns weighing an average of 450g – or 1lb – dwarf the normal fruit that are typically 170g.
They are the result of particularly cold weather in late April, which killed off many of the buds in apple orchards across the country.
It meant that while there were fewer fruit on the trees, they had extra nutrients and water and so ballooned in size in what turned out to be a good applegrowing summer.
In the past, the apples might have been considered too big for supermarkets that refuse to take fruit and vegetables not meeting their exacting standards of shape, colour and size.
However, the stores have begun relaxing these restrictions on fresh produce in an effort to reduce food waste and 120,000 giant Braeburns will go on sale over the next fortnight.
Morrisons, which will sell them, says they taste as good as smaller apples and are ideal for sharing. It said: ‘Unusual late frosts across the UK in April meant fewer apples grew, with as much as 10 per cent of the British Braeburn crop being affected. However, farmers were amazed to find that the reduced crop had grown to more than twice the size of the norm.’
Melvyn Newman, from Howfield Farm at Chartham in Kent, said: ‘This year’s frost caught lots of growers by surprise.
‘Over a third of our Braeburns this year are a much bigger size and with a smaller crop overall, it would have been heartbreaking to leave oversized fruit on the trees when they are just as tasty and with better colour.’
British Braeburns are the second most popular apple sold by Morrisons, accounting for 17 per cent of sales. Gala apples are first at 25 per cent, with Pink Lady third at 11 per cent.