November 28th 2023.
Christmas dinner is in danger this year as poor weather has caused key ingredients to become scarce. Recent storms have wreaked havoc on UK farms, leaving waterlogged land and a tough harvest. Supplies of broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, parsnips, and potatoes have all been affected.
The country's potato crop is expected to reach a record low of 4.1 million tons. Experts are warning that shops will be forced to supplement their stock from cold storage to try to have enough for everyone. The situation has been made worse by farmers reducing the number of cows and lambs they own due to post-Brexit payments and rising costs, leading to a shortage of British meat.
TH Clements, one of the UK's largest sprout suppliers, warned that the vegetables would also be smaller this year, as the larger ones tend to fall into rainwater and rot. Fred Searle, editor of Fresh Produce Journal, added, “The British potato harvest has been hit hard by heavy rain and flooding in recent weeks, causing delayed lifting and large crop losses. This was preceded by a cold, wet spring and a cool summer. With the potatoes that are in store there’s likely to be enough supply to meet demand but that might not be the case in the months ahead.”
Martin Tate, a veg grower who manages 18,000 acres in Lincolnshire, said, “There won’t be enough broccoli to supply the Christmas dinner demand. Cauliflower is still a problem and you can expect to see empty trays over the next few weeks, but it may return to normal before Christmas. After initial issues, Brussels sprouts supplies look like they will be OK.”
This year, it's looking increasingly likely that Christmas dinner might not be as plentiful as usual due to the poor weather and its effects on UK farms. We can only hope that enough food stock remains in order to have a festive feast.
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