© Geoff PughDiscovery apples on tree: English apples make earliest appearance in stores. The apples have arrived a good six weeks before their traditional launch at the end of August.
English apples are making their earliest ever appearances in shops after a harsh winter followed by a warm spring hastened their growth.
Created in what producers have called near-perfect growing conditions, the crop of Discovery apples - traditionally the season's first - are considered high quality by experts.
The apples have arrived more than a week earlier than the previous record set three years ago and a good six weeks before their traditional launch at the end of August, according to Tesco.
UK shoppers will today get to taste the result when the crop goes on sale at Tesco stores in the Sevenoaks area of Kent, near to where they were grown.
Tesco apple buyer David Croxson said: "What for most of us was one of the worst winters in recent memory turned out to be the start of a perfect growing season for English apple growers.
"Considering Britain has been enjoying much milder winters in recent years and rather inclement springs and summers, it's very rare to get growing conditions as good as we have just had.
"The result is a very high quality crop of Discovery apples - they are very crunchy, thirst-quenchingly juicy and crisp.
"The great quality will be very good news to UK growers because as the first apple of the season it gets shoppers primed for the home market again and creates excitement for other varieties later in the year."
Tesco's apples were grown by local growers Nigel Bardsley and Mike Butcher and were supplied by Kent marketing company Norman Collett.
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