In season

FOOD FOR Bearing THOUGHT Increasing demand for British-grown fruit and a renewed interest in heritage varieties is creating something of a fruit renaissance, says Clare Hargreaves Picture autumnal Britain and Sainsbury’s, for example, 38 per cent what comes to mind? For me, it’s are now British grown, compared to wonderfully misshapen trees and just 21 per cent five years ago. hedgerows studded with ripe fruit. How has it happened? For starters, There’s no question that the terrain growers realise they need to be and climate make the UK perfect for commercial to compete, so are growing truly flavoursome fruit. Along planting densely packed dwarf trees with lamb, it’s the food we do best. ‘We that are productive and easy to pick. don’t get the temperature extremes The biggest revolution, perhaps, is that other countries get. Our maritime cherry growing, thanks to the breeding climate is ideal,’ says Adrian Barlow, of smaller trees that can be covered to CEO of English and Pears. protect fruit from frost, birds and rain. So it’s odd – some would say Strawberries are now largely housed shocking – that as a nation we grow inside vast temples of plastic – not just 12 per cent of the fruit we eat. pretty perhaps but, some would argue, Even at the height of the season it a small price to pay for the revival of Crunch time can be hard to find British fruit. We’ve British fruit. About 70 per cent of the The good news all heard the reasons: British growers strawberries we consume are now We’re eating more British apples. In 2009, 34 per cent of all the are unable to compete with cheap UK-grown, compared to 48 per cent in apples bought were grown in the UK, up from 24 per cent in 2003. imports because of high labour costs 1998. We’re branching into new fruits, The bad news – that’s if they can persuade any too, like blueberries, now Britain’s Demand for UK-grown pears is falling, accounting for 17 per cent workers to pick at all. Another is that second-most- of total sales in 2009, down from 20 per cent in 2003. consumers are spurning traditional consumed soft fruit. What you can do British varieties in favour of foreign, To compete with How about replacing your morning glass of orange juice with sweeter, cosmetically beautiful ones. imports, however, some locally pressed ? The good news is the juggernaut is British growers are slowly turning. We’re producing and having to adapt eating more homegrown fruit, and the varieties they Conservationists are worried not only are increasingly unhappy about grow to modern about the loss of fruit varieties – Britain buying fruit transported from tastes. In the case of apples, this means has over 2,000 varieties of eating apple overseas. Supermarket sales figures blemish-free and sweet. Which means – but also about wildlife in the orchards. bear this out. Of the apples sold at forsaking old British favourites, such as Happily, there’s a renewed interest Cox’s Orange Pippin. ‘The Cox has a in our fruit heritage. Owners of vast complexity many consumers no longer orchards, such as the National Trust, How much we eat want,’ says Barlow. ‘The way ahead is are turning their fruits into juice, jam We eat the least fruit in Europe likely to be the New Zealand variety, and ice cream. The trust has joined Consumption of fruit per – which has just ousted the Cox as forces with juice-maker Copella to run person in 2009 number one – and new varieties such a campaign to plant and protect as and Kanzi.’ For cherries, it’s fat, English apple trees. The Co-op is juicy, black varieties such as Stella. selling a ‘Tillington 1000 Heritage Germany UK Some object that these trends do ’ made from 1,000 heritage 68kg 57kg little to help ancient varieties of fruit apple trees it rescued in 2008. and traditional orchards (‘traditional’ Are you finding it BBC chef Raymond Blanc is creating Netherlands signifies the trees are full-size, not easier to buy British a 20-acre orchard to grow British fruits 79kg dwarf). Over the past 60 years, we’ve fruit? We’d love to for his -starred restaurant, Le lost an estimated two-thirds of our hear your views. Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, near Oxford. Italy traditional orchards, partly due to EU Email us at The revival in craft and perry is France 150kg grants in the 70s that encouraged [email protected] also helping save and perry 81kg digging them up. A recent survey by or write to Media pear orchards in Herefordshire, the People’s Trust for Endangered Centre MC3D1, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. PHILIP WEBB PETERCASSIDY, Species found 35,378 traditional 201 Wood Lane, Small steps, but they do show we’re

orchards left, covering 16,990 hectares. London W12 7TQ keen to be proud of British fruit again. Photographs

84 bbcgoodfood.com OCTOBER 2011