British Blackberries Hit Sweet Spot After Record Summer Heat

British blackberry growers say this year’s crop could be their sweetest yet, after months of exceptional heat accelerated the development of natural sugars in the fruit.

The sustained warmth has produced berries that are noticeably sweeter than the sharp-tasting blackberries traditionally associated with Britain’s hedgerows, according to industry body British Berry Growers.

Oli Pascall, managing director of Clock House Farm near Maidstone in Kent, said: “Many people still think of blackberries as tart and sour in taste, but commercially-grown berries are very different.

“This could be the sweetest crop we’ve ever grown.”

The improved flavour comes during an extraordinary year for UK temperatures. England recorded its warmest June on record, while 2026 became the first year in the UK weather record in which temperatures reached at least 35°C during May, June and July. The UK also experienced its second-warmest July on record, according to the Met Office.

Alongside favourable weather, growers say decades of varietal development have transformed the commercial blackberry into a sweeter, juicier and more consistently flavoured fruit.

Driscoll’s said this focus on flavour had helped blackberries become one of the fastest-growing berry categories, with further potential to attract shoppers who may still associate the fruit with its sharper wild counterpart.

However, the conditions responsible for the exceptional flavour have also underlined the growing importance of water security for British horticulture.

Growers have invested millions of pounds in resilience measures, including winter storage reservoirs and computer-controlled drip irrigation systems that deliver water directly to plants.

Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, said those investments had enabled farms to continue producing high-quality fruit despite the heat and prolonged dry conditions.

However, he warned that climate change meant the sector could not afford to become complacent. British Berry Growers is calling for greater government support for water infrastructure, including the construction of more on-farm reservoirs, to help safeguard domestic fruit production.

The industry body said growers were currently well placed to keep supermarkets supplied throughout August, but cautioned that continued investment would be essential if increasingly hot and dry summers become more common.

British-grown blackberries are now in peak season and available from major supermarkets across the UK.

Source: British Berry Growers