In 2025, the United Kingdom welcomed a sunny spring, resulting in a dramatic increase in strawberry production with unprecedented sizes. Local fruit farmers have reported that the recent strawberry harvest has seen fruits growing 10% to 20% larger on average, with some so big that they are “impossible to eat in one bite” due to plentiful sunlight and cool nighttime temperatures.
At the Summer Berry Company strawberry farm near Chichester in West Sussex, Managing Director Bartosz Pinkosz told The Guardian, “I’ve been growing strawberries for nearly 20 years and I have never seen anything like this.” He noted that this spring’s weather has been “perfect” for strawberry growth, with some strawberries weighing up to 50 grams, nearly 70% larger than the average 30-gram size, with some strawberries being as big as kiwifruits.
Nick Marston, chairman of the British Berry Growers Association, also confirmed that British strawberries are excelling in size, appearance, flavor, and sugar content, making them highly desirable for consumers. He added, “While it’s not a blanket statement, abundant sunshine and cool nights are indeed ideal conditions for fruit development.”
According to farm statistics, while January and February were mostly overcast this year, March and April saw record levels of sunlight, with warm days and cool nights, creating an ideal environment for strawberries to slowly ripen in greenhouses, resulting in sweeter and more robust fruits.
Not only at the Summer Berry Company, but Pauline Goodall, a strawberry farm owner in Somerset, also told the BBC that the unusually warm spring in early May led to fruits ripening at an “astonishing speed.”
Agricultural experts point out that strawberries are temperate crops that stop fruiting when temperatures exceed 28°C. Therefore, while the spring weather has brought early abundance, continued hot and dry conditions in the summer could potentially lower strawberry yields and drive up prices.
The Daily Mail noted that these “giant strawberries” are not genetically modified, coincidentally aligning with the upcoming Wimbledon Tennis Championships next month. British people are looking forward to enjoying fresh, juicy, and “mouthful-sized” oversized strawberries by the courts for the second consecutive year.