Latest news with #NickMarston
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Business
- Telegraph
First British-bred blueberry title claimed… then swiftly lost
Few things stir the spirit like a national first – so when the James Hatton Institute, in Invergowrie, declared this summer that it had produced the UK's first home-bred blueberry, heads were turned. However, no sooner had the institute made the announcement than it discovered that someone had beaten it. It was then forced to relinquish the title of a British first in favour of proclaiming the first Scottish-bred blueberry. The institute had proudly unveiled Highland Charm, a blueberry variety bred on Scottish soil, produced after a decade of research, cross-breedings and a large amount of patience. But instead of relishing in the sweet taste of triumph, the institute had to content with a bitter reality. Highland Charm would fall short of claiming the crown of first UK-bred blueberry, as that accolade had been collected by another pioneer whose identity remains a mystery. The institute issued a correction after being contacted by the people behind the true first British-bred variety, and clarified that it instead had the first blueberry of Scottish heritage. But sources in the berry industry robustly denied that any other berry breeding programmes existed nationwide. Instead, they suggested that the name confusion could have been prompted by the Scottish Government, which reportedly funded the breeding programme, and therefore asserted Scotland's claim on the produce. The Scottish Government denied these accusations, with a spokesman advising that 'it was changed because someone else approached them claiming to have created the UKs first bred blueberry before them'. Waitrose boasted of British blueberries in 2020 but fell short of claiming they were bred here saying instead that they were organically grown. But for institute staff who have spent over 10 years working on Highland Charm, one honest mistake will not get in the way of their celebrations. Susan McCallum, the organisation's resident blueberry breeder, said: 'It combines high yields, excellent fruit size, outstanding flavour, with a balanced sugar-acid profile and a satisfying bite. Growers are really excited about it.' Nick Marston, of British Berry Growers, welcomed the news of a new home-bred strain, saying: 'The potential advantage that breeding in the UK offers is that new varieties will be selected and trialled in the UK climate at an early stage in their development which means they may be better suited to our climatic conditions.' The long process of berry breeding means that growers can brand it a 'Scottish Berry', suited to the weather and native. At present, growers must rely on foreign varieties, and whilst they can be grown in the UK they cannot truly call themselves a native-bred fruit. Tesco reported last year that consumers enjoy more than 60,000 tonnes of blueberries per year, with almost 90 per cent imported from abroad – largely the Americas – a number of weeks after they were harvested. Researchers at Invergowrie wanted to change that with Highland Charm, a resilient and high-yielding seed that has delivered in testing across different seasons and growing conditions both home and abroad. Now it is undergoing a licencing process to allow it to qualify as a new cultivar, meaning Highland Charm could be on supermarket shelves in the next two to three years. Ms McCallum hopes its success will encourage consumers to buy locally produced, in-season produce, and promised: 'They're fresher and have higher health benefits than imported berries that take six weeks to get from field to shelves. You'll taste the difference.'
Scotsman
18-07-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Breakfast charter launched as 8 in 10 Parents fear poor school meals
68 per cent of parents agree with the charter | No credit A new charter has been launched as parents believe the government is not doing enough to support healthy eating choices, study reveals. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Backed by British Berry Growers, the National Children's Breakfast Charter aims for the government to mandate minimum nutritional standards for free school meals - especially breakfasts. And it urges people to write to their MPs to encourage them to support the charter. It comes as research conducted by British Berry Growers, showed that 8 in 10 parents worry that their children are not getting a nutritious breakfast at school. Despite 78 per cent agreeing that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A further 56 per cent of parents feel the government is not doing enough to support healthy eating choices. The Charter also follows the government's roll-out of a school breakfast pilot in April. This saw 750 schools provide free daily breakfast club as part the free school meals programme. All children in families receiving Universal Credit are now eligible for free school meals. British Berry Grower's chairman, Nick Marston, said: 'School breakfasts are a critical safety net for young people, especially in more deprived areas. 'But the breakfasts offered should be nutrient-rich and include fresh produce like berries. 'We support the government funding contribution for breakfast clubs, and their efforts to expand the free school meals programme. 'We urge further expansion and the use of minimum levels of nutritional quality to ensure children are getting the healthy food they need and deserve - especially at breakfast.' The research of 2,007 mothers with children up to the age of 18, went on to reveal that two thirds (68 per cent) of parents support government action to provide healthy, free school meals for all children. While an overwhelming 96 per cent believe schools should be doing more to ensure children are served fruit during breakfast. The Charter, written in partnership with leading nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, outlines how policy change and practical reform can help ensure every child starts their day with the nutrition they need to thrive. 'At British Berry Growers, we're committed to being part of the solution,' Marston said. 'But we know real change requires all of us: government, schools, industry, and families working together. 'Our hope is that the Charter sparks dialogue, drives action, and helps every child start their day with the energy and nourishment they deserve.' The charter hopes to tackle the issue that children typically fall short of the recommended five-a-day fruit and veg target on four or more days each week, whether in or out of school. With parents reporting their children miss breakfast nearly seven times a month, while 88 per cent worry about how much sugar their children are consuming. Rhiannon Lambert commented: 'Breakfast is widely acknowledged as a critical part of a healthy diet, yet it remains one of the most frequently overlooked meals, particularly among children and adolescents. 'A nutritious breakfast sets the tone for the day, yet too many children in the UK are missing out. 'Improving breakfast habits isn't solely a matter of individual choice. 'it requires coordinated action across government, education, industry, and the home environment. 'We need to raise the breakfast bar, together.' Write to your local MP to ask them to support the National Children's Breakfast Charter by visiting . This article is produced by SWNS based on content distributed by GlobeNewswire.
Scotsman
18-07-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Breakfast charter launched as 8 in 10 Parents fear poor school meals
68 per cent of parents agree with the charter | No credit A new charter has been launched as parents believe the government is not doing enough to support healthy eating choices, study reveals. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Backed by British Berry Growers, the National Children's Breakfast Charter aims for the government to mandate minimum nutritional standards for free school meals - especially breakfasts. And it urges people to write to their MPs to encourage them to support the charter. It comes as research conducted by British Berry Growers, showed that 8 in 10 parents worry that their children are not getting a nutritious breakfast at school. Despite 78 per cent agreeing that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A further 56 per cent of parents feel the government is not doing enough to support healthy eating choices. The Charter also follows the government's roll-out of a school breakfast pilot in April. This saw 750 schools provide free daily breakfast club as part the free school meals programme. All children in families receiving Universal Credit are now eligible for free school meals. British Berry Grower's chairman, Nick Marston, said: 'School breakfasts are a critical safety net for young people, especially in more deprived areas. 'But the breakfasts offered should be nutrient-rich and include fresh produce like berries. 'We support the government funding contribution for breakfast clubs, and their efforts to expand the free school meals programme. 'We urge further expansion and the use of minimum levels of nutritional quality to ensure children are getting the healthy food they need and deserve - especially at breakfast.' The research of 2,007 mothers with children up to the age of 18, went on to reveal that two thirds (68 per cent) of parents support government action to provide healthy, free school meals for all children. While an overwhelming 96 per cent believe schools should be doing more to ensure children are served fruit during breakfast. The Charter, written in partnership with leading nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert, outlines how policy change and practical reform can help ensure every child starts their day with the nutrition they need to thrive. 'At British Berry Growers, we're committed to being part of the solution,' Marston said. 'But we know real change requires all of us: government, schools, industry, and families working together. 'Our hope is that the Charter sparks dialogue, drives action, and helps every child start their day with the energy and nourishment they deserve.' The charter hopes to tackle the issue that children typically fall short of the recommended five-a-day fruit and veg target on four or more days each week, whether in or out of school. With parents reporting their children miss breakfast nearly seven times a month, while 88 per cent worry about how much sugar their children are consuming. Rhiannon Lambert commented: 'Breakfast is widely acknowledged as a critical part of a healthy diet, yet it remains one of the most frequently overlooked meals, particularly among children and adolescents. 'A nutritious breakfast sets the tone for the day, yet too many children in the UK are missing out. 'Improving breakfast habits isn't solely a matter of individual choice. 'it requires coordinated action across government, education, industry, and the home environment. 'We need to raise the breakfast bar, together.' Write to your local MP to ask them to support the National Children's Breakfast Charter by visiting .
Asharq Al-Awsat
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UK's Sunniest Spring Yields Unusually Sweet Strawberries
British strawberry farmers say this year's record-breaking spring sunshine and warm days have yielded the cream of the crop, with a bigger and sweeter harvest than usual. Long periods of sun and cool nights provided "perfect" conditions for the strawberry harvest, according to James Miller from WB Chambers Farms. The dry and pleasant weather also boosted insect pollination, which further improves the quality and shape of the berries, Miller explained, according to AFP. "They're bigger and sweeter this year than we've seen in previous years," said Miller, the commercial director for one of the country's biggest berry producers. At one farm near Dartford in Kent, southeast England, rows of strawberry plants drooped with the weight of the gleaming red fruit housed in insulating polytunnels. As farmhands made their way meticulously down the semi-circular white tunnels, punnets were filled with ripe strawberries -- some the size of small fists. The weather has resulted in "super berry size and super flavor," said Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, which represents most of the UK's soft fruit farms. "I've been in the berry industry for 30 years and this is one of the best springs I've ever seen, in terms of both the weather and also the crop," Marston told AFP. This year Britain experienced the warmest spring in terms of mean temperatures since records began in 1884, the Met Office announced this week. It was also the second-sunniest and the driest spring in over a century for England, known for its damp climate. Southeast England received only 30-50 percent of its average spring rainfall, according to the Met Office, raising fears of drought for many farmers. Human-induced climate change is driving longer-lasting, more intense and more frequent droughts, heatwaves and other extreme weather events. To conserve water, the WB Chambers farm in Dartford uses drip irrigation -- which involves water slowly trickling to the roots of the plant through a controlled pipe. "We've reduced our water usage for growing strawberries quite significantly," Miller told AFP. "So I hope we're in a better place than others." According to Marston, British producers have already sold nearly 21,600 tons of strawberries -- 5,000 tons more than by the same time last year, when the country experienced an overcast spring. This is in part due to warmer conditions yielding an earlier crop than usual, with large and juicy strawberries hitting the shelves in April, rather than May. But it is also due to a rise in demand when the sun comes out, said Miller, with consumers hankering for British summer classics like strawberries and cream. "The sun is our biggest salesman in the UK," said Miller. "When the sun picks up, then the demand picks up."
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Scotsman
How climate change is sending Scots a message about living more healthily
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... With the current warm spring coming hot on the heels of a dry, mild winter, it's hard to escape the sense that climate change has well and truly arrived in Scotland. Older generations who keep a weather eye on the, er, weather may have been particularly struck by temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius and endless days without rain. However, while it is a reminder of the importance of plotting a credible and sensible path to net-zero, we should not be so over-awed by our changing circumstances that we forget to enjoy what is, after all, nice weather. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Early season strawberries have proved to be sweeter and more shapely thanks to current dry, sunny spring (Picture: Julian Finney) | Getty Images And although some farmers and the whisky industry, in particular, have been hit by the lack of rain, for soft fruit growers, the weather has been cause for celebration. Early season strawberries 'are looking exceptional in both flavour and form', according to Nick Marston, of British Berry Growers.
