Strawberries grown in the UK will be "larger and juicier" than previous years, according to experts.
British Summer Fruits – the body that represents 95% of berries supplied to UK supermarkets – said the cool winter and spring have slowed strawberries' development, leading to a more gradual ripening.
This year's crop will therefore be more sizeable and "just as tasty", it added.
It comes as the industry welcomes the start of the "British strawberry season" – the period from May to October during which the country has a self-sufficient crop.
Research shows shoppers spent more than £772million on strawberries over the past year – up more than 10% on 2019.
The figure is equivalent to 147,300 tonnes of strawberries purchased in a twelve-month period.
Berries now have the biggest market share of all fruit grown in the UK, making up 26%.
This has pushed the value of the berry industry to an all-time high of £1.69 billion.
Chair of British Summer Fruits, Nick Marston, said: “This year, strawberries have developed a little more slowly than usual.
"The recent cooler weather is resulting in tasty but also larger and juicier British strawberries than previous years.
"We are excited that our continuously advancing growing techniques, such as large-scale glasshouse production for season extension, means we can offer shoppers these locally grown fresh berries for more of the year.”
Public health nutritionist and advisor to British Summer Fruits, Dr Emma Derbyshire, said: “Strawberries are a great provider of vitamin C and have important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory profiles – eating just nine strawberries (108g) can provide all of your recommended daily vitamin C intake.
"As it’s now British strawberry season, it’s the perfect time to taste naturally sweet berries and reap their potential health benefits”.
