What an awful week of wet weather!
This sort of weather takes me back to when I was a young man (well not much more than a boy really) on the family farm. When we had a few days incessant rain and Dad had run out of things for us to do, he sent us into the 'wood shed' to cut kindling wood and logs for the extended family's household use. e.g. Dad, Uncles and Granny.
Wages of course were rather less as a percentage of today and farming profit more easily achieved. A few days lost to the wood shed did not impact on the annual balance sheet.
As a teenager I loved to listen to the tales of the 'old boys' saucy stories which todays teenagers would scoff at as beneath their 'adult' humour. Much was I am sure exagerated, but nevertheless 'music' to a young man's ears back in the less sophisticated world of the late 1950's!
Granny said when the weather was bad in their day, Grandad would decide nothing could be usefully achieved on the farm, pack the family into the car and cart them off to the pictures!
Years later when the management responsibility was mine alone, I would retreat to my office and catch up with an overflowing in tray!
Retail visits this week to Marks & Spencer and John Lewis at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent endorsed the view reported in last week's Journal, namely we are at the peak of the English Apple & Pear season with excellent supplies of quality fruit.
Marks & Spencer @ Bluewater.
As expected M&S fruit quality, visual and eating is of the highest standard. Loose Bramley @ £1.54kg. Loose Cox & Gala apples @ £1.99kg. Prepack 4 packs @ £2.29 are on offer @ £3 for two packs comparing very favourably with imported Pink Lady selling @ £3.79kg & Jazz @ £2.69kg.
The opportunity to 'mix & match' a Cox & Gala pack at a very fair discounted price must be good for the consumer and growers alike!
The EAM bought an interesting and relatively new variety; exclusive to M&S.
Amelia priced @ £2.49 for a 4 pack, creates more than a point of difference, with a donation from each pack helping raise funds for kidney cancer research..
The variety 'Amelia' was named after a young Ilkeston girl, Amelia Bassett who died of kidney cancer in May 2008 and was launched by Marks & Spencer in November 2008, albeit in limited stores until production increases.
Ilkeston M&S and other stores in the region were the first to stock Amelia's Apple!
Amelia's Apple is helping to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity.
Marks & Spencer will donate ten per cent from every pack sold to the charity, to help fund the hospital's kidney transplant centre.
Extract from original publication at the launch of Amelia's Apple in November 2008
Amelia's father Roy, who manages Marks and Spencer's store in Ilkeston, was the unanimous winner of a competition to name the apple.
He said: "I originally wanted the name to be Amelia Sunshine but the European Commission said there was a problem with the name, so it was called Amelia's Apple."
Amelia's Apple is on sale in 25 stores, including Ilkeston and is labelled with a sticker of the Great Ormond Street Hospital logo.
Grown in Kent, the new variety is said to have a distinct yellow colour with a zingy flavour and a lemon fizz.
M&S apple expert Phillip Symons said: "We are thrilled to be launching Amelia's Apple and helping to raise vital funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital.
"Our customers can enjoy a delicious new British-grown apple whilst supporting such an important cause."
Worldwide Fruit the largest supplier of English Apples into the UK market has taken on the mantle of developing Amelia's Apple for M&S. Robert Hinge a leading grower supplying M&S via Worldwide Fruit has been the sole supplier to date, but expansion of Amelia acreage is ongoing with plans for more trees to be planted at Robert's farm and further planting at Simon Bray's farm on the 'North Downs,' near Faversham in Kent in 2011.
Yields of 5 tonnes this year are finding their way into 100 M&S stores this season and will be available for about 4 weeks. The future expectation is for an 8 fold increase in volume over the next few years.
One disappointment was the minimal presence of English Pears in M&S, apart from Concorde in 4 packs @ £1.79 the display is 'dominated' by cosmetically perfect Dutch Conference, Belgian Comice, Portugese Rocha, Italian Williams and Argentinian Red Bartlett.
Hopefully we will find a bit more English pears in the weeks ahead!
While Christmas shopping with 'she who must be obeyed' at Bluewater, The EAM managed to 'sneak away' and visit the magnificent John Lewis Food Hall.
English Apples & Pears included polybag Spartan @ £1.99 x 6 apples. Loose Gala @ £1.86kg with polybags @ £1.99 x 6 apples. Tree Matured Cox @ £1.99 x 4 pack. Loose Bramley @ £1.54kg. English Empire polybag @ £1.99 x 6 apples. Loose Egremont Russet @ £1.89kg and Concorde Pears @ £2.09kg.
Imported Pink Lady @ £2.69 x 4 pack emphasize the higher price levels of most imported apples, supporting the more balanced supply of apples globally this season.
The quality of John Lewis/Waitrose is like M&S, rarely anything other than perfect and these two outlets are valuable customers for those growers capable of producing the finest of English fruit. However, this is the 'icing on the cake' and the bulk of English Apples & Pears depend on the high volume customers, Sainsbury, Tesco, Morrisons and ASDA to move the numbers required to maintain a viable English Top Fruit Industry.
The supply of 'Extra Class' fruit is not the total preserve of M&S and Waitrose. Sainsbury and Tesco recognising the demand for a top of the range line offer Tastiest & Finest options in addition to competitively priced ranges.
The English Apple Man will be on holiday for the next two weeks. The Journal will be 'primarily pictorial' for that period!
Take care
The English Apple Man