While the recent cold snap has resulted in misery for many farmers, British cherry growers are singing its praises, claiming it will result in larger crops and excellent quality fruit.

Mansfields - the UK’s biggest cherry grower - is expecting a major increase in fruit volumes from its Kent orchards, to around 700 tonnes this year, after last year’s crop was hit severely by the wet weather.

The Co-operative Farms said it was expecting a “normal” crop this year, of around 60 tonnes from its farms at Highland Court in Kent and Tillington in Herefordshire, provided there was little or no frost in coming months.

“A good winter chill has meant blossom is only just coming out, which is a good thing as the frost-susceptible period is shorter,” said a spokesman.

Coupled with high soil moisture content and a dry summer, it would result in a good fruit size at harvest, he added.

Fruit quality was likely to be excellent because the cold weather had kept the cherry trees’ growth dormant, making more energy available for the fruit, added Mansfields business development manager, Anthony Clark.

The cold spring will, however, result in a delay to the season, with Mansfields reporting that its crop is running 10 to 14 days behind last year. The Co-operative also said its cherries would be “a little later”.

The update comes as growers plan significant investment to help minimise crop damage caused by the weather. The Co-operative plans to plant modern cherry varieties, which are irrigated and grown under cover. This would increase its Tillington crop from 25 to 150 tonnes a year, providing Co-op stores a more secure supply.

Mansfields also plans to put an additional 75 acres under cover over the next two years, adding to the current 135 acres.

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