The UK leek season still has a couple of months to go, and according to James Seddon from Seddon & Sons, it has been a strange one.
"The problems you would expect to see due to the weather didn't appear, but others which we didn't expect did," said James Seddon, who looks after agronomy at the company. "We had a mild winter with few frosts, but the frosts did result in some damage, which became apparent weeks later. The weather was mainly mild though, which gave us some good sizes, and yields were ok; not fantastic but not too poor."
© Seddon & Sons
"Demand was also a bit up and down; it was mainly influenced by imported products. Leeks from Holland and Belgium are cheaper than English ones; people will pay more for English ones, but they won't pay much more. The advantage we have is that our leeks are fresher; we can harvest, wash them, and have them on the market the next day. Also, the European exporters are not keen to send half pallets or boxes, so they are usually sold in nets and sit for a few days before being sold. We can sell them in smaller quantities."
Seddon & Sons have started planting, and the spring weather has been kind so far. "While this is great, it is also a worry as it can sometimes come back to bite you, but you never know what the weather is going to be like a couple of months down the line."
For more information:
James Seddon
Seddon & Sons
Tel: +44 01704 821587
james@seddonandsons.co.uk
www.seddonandsons.co.uk