The harvest in the famous Rhubarb Triangle in West Yorkshire has been going for two months now and yields are looking good.
Robert Tomlinson and his wife Paula grow rhubarb in four sheds and harvest 30-40 tonnes a year, during harvest the couple spend around 15 hours a day cutting the rhubarb by candlelight.
"We grow the roots outside in the fields in for two years before they are harvested and brought inside. This winter has been mild and wet which has caused us a few problems, we have had to be very careful and it has taken more time."
The rhubarb has to be grown at between 10-12 C in the sheds which means they have to be heated if it is cold. "Due to the mild weather, we didn't have to heat as much which has saved on the electricity bills, but it is actually better if you have heat as it circulates the air."
Last year the couple faced big hike energy bills as rates shot up, according to Robert the rates are still high and other costs such as cardboard boxes and fertilizer have also continued to increased.
"We have around 6 weeks to go with the harvest and the demand is good. Around 90% of our crop is sold to caterers, it is also exported to the US and Canada. Social media has done a lot to increase demand, we have a customer with a restaurant in Manchester who has 180,000 followers who posted about our rhubarb and we got 4 million views!"
Robert does not handle the exports himself; it is done via his customer Natoora in London.
Yorkshire forced rhubarb obtained Protected Designation of Origin in 2021 after Brexit.
For more information:
Robert Tomlinson
B Tomlinson & Sons
Tel: +44 7855 374036
[email protected]