all blog articles

21 June 2021

Strawberries and raspberries are bursting with goodness. They are rich in antioxidant vitamins like vitamins C and E, which are good for us when ingested by eating fruit and vegetables.

They are also low in fat and salt, making them a great way to get that 5-a-day.

But Scotland also produces wonderful blueberries, blackberries, gooseberries, cherries, elderberries, blackcurrants, whitecurrants and redcurrants.

All are equally tasty and beneficial.

You can even freeze them to enjoy when the growing season is finished. They’ll still be packed with flavour and goodness!

The reason our berries are so good here in Scotland is down to the mix of weather (yes it is good for something) and soil – the combination that the French call terroir. And the main berry growing areas are Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Fife, the Highlands, Ayrshire and Arran and the Scottish Borders.

Our long summer days, but combined with cooler temperatures, are ideal for berry growing. It means that berries grown here can be produced for a longer season than is possible for many other providers.

Extending the season ever further, polytunnels are now an ever-present feature on stretches of Scottish countryside, helping protect the berries from harsher conditions early or late in the year.

The boffins at the Scottish Crop Research Institute are also helping, by creating new species of fruit that will be better equipped to cope with changing climate conditions.

So whether you’re taste is for strawberries, to accompany an ice cream while you watch Wimbledon, or you plan a healthy blueberry Smoothie as part of your own exercise plan, you know that adding any of our bountiful Scottish berries to your next tasty treat is a perfect plan. And we can supply them all.