British apples and pears will hit supermarket shelves early this year, due to favourable weather in spring and summer, and renowned French chef, Raymond Blanc, says Britain produces some of the finest apples and pears in the world.
This year, the British apple and pear season is starting on Monday 26th September 2022, due to favourable weather during spring and summer. Ali Capper, Executive Chair of British Apples & Pears Limited, the UK grower organisation, says: “With consumers facing the pinch, British apples are one of the best value, healthy snacks. They also travel minimal food miles to reach our supermarket shelves, meaning they are also the ideal, environmental choice too. British apples really are the smart snacking choice – kind to wallets, the environment and our overall health.”
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New season British apples are the ideal choice for cost-conscious shoppers. They are second only to bananas in terms of fruit affordability and store well in the fridge, reducing potential food waste in the home.
An Apple a Day
British apples also offer great health benefits. October is National Cholesterol Month and leading nutritionist Rob Hobson highlights the benefits of apples for our heart health: “Risk factors for heart disease include being overweight, having high cholesterol, high blood pressure or type 2 Diabetes. Diet and exercise have a key role to play in whether you develop them.”
He adds: “Recent research has shown apples and pears contain several bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, dietary fibre, and antioxidants, that have been individually associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease .”
With a good quantity and quality of the 2022 British apple crop, British growers are predicting that their apples will be ideal for storage. That means the potential for a full year-round supply of British apples for UK shoppers.
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To celebrate the start of the British apple and pear season, renowned celebrity chef, Raymond Blanc is keen to share his passion for great-tasting British produce.
Raymond says: “Britain produces some of the finest, high-quality apples in the world and I feel incredibly honoured to be a part of the British apple and pear season launch for the third year. With an abundance of British apple varieties available, this tremendously versatile fruit is the perfect snack, offering great taste, ample health benefits, value for money and storability.”
That’s a Lovely Pear
British Apples & Pears is a limited registered company formed in 1990 to organise and develop the promotion of the British apple and pear industry. They work year-round to promote delicious British high-quality apples and pears and we are led by a committed board of grower directors. The organisation acts as a trade association, to promote and safeguard the interests of its British grower members and to promote British grown apples and pears.
Membership is restricted to British growers of apples and pears and each member’s shareholding is determined by their hectarage of apples and pears. It is funded by a voluntary levy – every time a class one British apple or pear is purchased the growers donate a small sum to the promotional fund. It represents the whole of the British industry, working hard on their behalf to grow their market share, raise awareness and engage with consumers and retailers with the aim of supplying 60% of all the apples and pears consumed in the UK by 2030.
