Fens Grower Diversifies With First Commercial English Olive Harvest

Lincolnshire grower G H Hoyles has harvested what is believed to be the world’s most northern commercial olive crop, marking a bold, successful example in adapting agriculture to a changing climate in the UK. 

Image: The English Olive Co.

The Hoyles family has been farming conventional crops in the Lincolnshire Fens for over 250 years, producing potatoes, peas, wheat, sugar beet, and mustard for local co-operatives and supermarkets. 

Now that warmer weather has made it viable to grow olives in eastern England, the the family has diversified its crop range, developing what it believes is the county’s first commercial olive crop.

The family adopted Italian-style growing techniques at its Long Sutton farm in Spalding to successfully produce and harvest olives across 10 hectares. 

The inaugural crop was hand-harvested and pressed into English olive oil at its own on-site olive press and bottling line. 

Adapting To A Warmer Climate

David Hoyles | Image: The English Olive Co.

David Hoyles, the inspiration and driving force behind the initiative, attributes the success of the orchard to warmer temperatures, changing weather patterns, and the relatively sheltered microclimate within his area of Lincolnshire.

“We were seeing climate change making it sometimes difficult for some of our conventional crops, we're getting warmer, drier periods,” Hoyles told the BBC. 

“We first looked at grapes but they didn't suit our soil type. Olives is something of an extreme choice but one we've gone for,” he explained, adding that the team is constantly learning and adapting.

Already, the firm is becoming more self sufficient, having installed solar panels and wind turbines, and constructed additional reservoirs to help water crops during dry periods.

Opportunities for British Growers 

According to Hoyles, crops once seen as strictly Mediterranean, such as olives, are becoming more realistic options in parts of the UK as the climate shifts.

Describing the venture as a pragmatic experiment in adapting to climate change, Hoyles said it demonstrates the opportunities for British growers to diversify into non-traditional species as conditions warm. 

Nonetheless, he acknowledges the risks too, noting that extreme weather events and winter cold snaps remain major threats.

Adopting Italian Techniques

After spending five years researching techniques, the first olive crop was planted at Long Sutton in 2024 using 18,000 olive tree samplings bought from Spain. 

The olives are grown using methods learned from Italian producers, focusing on careful varietal selection, and management suited to cooler, wetter conditions than southern Europe. 

After several years of establishment and collaboration with Italian growers, the trees have now produced a harvest large enough to be pressed commercially, marking a milestone for the project. 

The olive grove marks a new chapter for G H Hoyles. It heralds the return of fruit tree farming to the family’s land for the first time since 1923, and has led to the creation of The English Olive Company.

The family believes theirs to be the UK’s first commercial olive grove, and the most northern commercial olive grove in the world.

Source: BBC News