Your guide to British strawberry season

Take a bite out of summer with our juicy Red Diamond strawberries. Learn when strawberries are at their peak and how to use them with our easy recipe ideas.

Food Editor

Emily Lambe

When it comes to British strawberry season, it doesn't get any sweeter than our Red Diamonds. These summer stars are left to ripen for longer to ensure they are super sweet and juicy, with only the biggest and best strawberries selected. Learn more about when strawberries come into season and how to use them.

Discover our strawberries

What are strawberries?

Strawberries are low-growing herbaceous plants, and members of the rose family with small, white flowers. Strawberries can grow in diverse environments, from open woodlands to coastal beaches. At M&S, all strawberries are grown on tabletops in coir and carefully hand-picked for maximum flavour and consistent colour. The fruit is plump and juicy with a tart, sweet flavour. They're also naturally high in vitamin C and folate and a source of manganese. And not all strawberries are red – our White Pearl Strawberries are a pale, white colour with a tropical pineapple and vanilla flavour.

British strawberries

When are strawberries in season?

There’s nothing quite like a sweet treat at the height of British strawberry season. Strawberries are typically in season in the UK from early June to late August. Although the weather plays a major factor during the summer and the peak season can be cut short.

At M&S, we invested in winter-grown strawberries cultivated under LED lights in glasshouses to deliver British strawberries year-round. We grow outdoor crops from May to September. Our strawberries are chilled within two hours of harvesting, ready to be labelled and despatched to our customers as we strive to achieve maximum freshness and longer shelf life.

What’s in season

Where we source our strawberries

Our Red Diamond strawberries are only grown by M&S Select Farmers we know and trust, like Stephen and Jenny Tasker at their farm in Retford, Nottinghamshire. Like all our Red Diamond Growers, their farm is geared towards nature-friendly farming, and at least 5% of the land is dedicated to wildlife. By planting wildflower meadows and corridors around their farm, the Taskers provide food for honeybees and wild bumblebees. The farm runs on energy from an on-site wind turbine, solar power and a biomass boiler.

Farm to Foodhall

Strawberry recipe ideas

Strawberries are just as versatile as they are delicious and make a fabulous addition to breakfasts, salads, drinks, desserts and more. Make a big batch of our white sangria with juicy honeydew melon, peaches and strawberries – it’s summer in a glass. Or use up a pack of strawberries with our easy pavlova. As the base is ready-made, all you have to do is top it with a creamy elderflower filling and fresh fruit. Our strawberries take centre stage in these summer cupcakes, which are ready in just five minutes with no baking required.

More strawberry ideas