British Tomato Fortnight 2023

British Tomato Fortnight is celebrated for 14 days annually. The celebration starts on the Monday of the last full week of May, and it ends on a Sunday — from May 29 to June 11 this year. De Ruiter will be joining this tomato celebration as well.

British Tomato Fortnight celebrates the quality of British tomatoes. These tomatoes are usually grown in glasshouses due to our country’s temperamental climate. This means that the tomatoes are exposed to fewer pests and fewer pesticides, letting consumers feel certain about what they are eating and where it comes from.

During this week, you should look out for British De Ruiter tomatoes everywhere you go. Remember that tomatoes make up a lot of other food products such as ketchup, soup, and sauce, all of which are important parts of the British tomato world.

In Britain, it’s fair to say we love toms. We eat around 500,000 tonnes of them every year. That’s 6oz or 160g per person per week, the equivalent of two classic British tomatoes per week, or more than 100 per year!

Around a fifth of the total toms we consume are grown in Britain.

British-grown tomatoes are famous for their flavour. That’s because they’re sold locally, so varieties are chosen for taste rather than durability.

They’re kept on the vine for longer, absorbing as much flavour as possible before they reach your plate. This also means they’re bursting with nutrition, boosting immunity, heart health and even protecting against cancer.

They’re good for the environment too. Food miles are dramatically reduced compared to imported counterparts. And British tomato growers are an innovative lot. From nourishing crops with rainwater to using bumblebees to pollinate the plants, they’re continually refining their growing techniques to work with nature, rather than against it.