A KENT fruit-growing company has produced the first-ever bumper crop of apricots grown in the United Kingdom.

They are expected to knock for six the more traditional French and Spanish grown varieties as they hit the supermarket shelves.

A combination of fruit growing expertise and global warming has enabled Highland Court Farm Ltd at Bridge, near Canterbury, to make the big breakthrough in apricot production on their 1,200 acre farm.

Trees planted 15 years ago have yielded a 10-ton crop of apricots of such saleable quality that Sainsbury’s have placed a major order for their specialist Taste The Difference range.

Linda Twiss, the Highland Court company’s general manager, said: "We are absolutely thrilled with the crop we have harvested so successfully.

"We thought we had made the breakthrough last year. The apricots were good but there was a skin blemish that was not quite the quality we wanted.

"This year the skins have no blemishes. The apricots are a lot more red than the Spanish and French varieties.

"The variety is called Tomcot. They are very juicy and the taste is superb. We have timed this to perfection as British shoppers step-up their search for home grown exclusive fruit."