Category: News

Tomato soup is a timeless classic meal, in winter and summer alike it’s always a great, fulfilling meal that continuously leaves you satisfied after eating. But have you ever wondered which tomato soup is the best of the bunch?

Most of us would go straight to Heinz, of course. 

However, a recent study conducted by Which? Concluded that there are some own-brand supermarket tomato soups that are just as good (if not better!) than Heinz, and here are the results… 

1. Sainsbury’s Cream of Tomato Soup – 81% 
2. Tesco’s Cream of Tomato Soup – 80%
3. Asda’s Cream of Tomato Soup – 75%

If you’re wondering where Heinz came in the ranking, it managed to bag 6th place with 69% overall satisfaction, but some panelists were disappointed with the strength of the tomato taste. 

Where will you be buying your next batch of tomato soup? You could try making your own, there will be a recipe coming soon so keep your eyes peeled… 

Have you been trying to grow tomatoes from seeds but you’re not having much luck? Not to worry, we have 8 top tips that will help you with your tomato growing at home, who knows, you may even give us a run for our money!

Step 1 – Start Fresh

Spring is the perfect time for a fresh start by blowing away the winter cobwebs and allowing spring to flourish, so why not that include this in your tomato growing process? If you are reusing plastic module trays, wash thoroughly in warm, soapy water to remove old soil and other accumulated minerals. Also, use a new bag of high-quality seed-starting mix to help the growth of your plants. Avoid cheap imitations, which are often the cause of seedling failure.

Step 2 – Keep your containers organised

A great way to improve your seed growth at home is by organising your containers and keeping track of what plant is where. Write variety names on your containers with waterproof markers to ensure that you can clearly see which plant is where no matter the weather conditions.

Step 3 – Plant your seeds in dry soil

It is important to plant your tomato seeds dry because the furry coating on tomato seeds softens when water is added. This helps the seeds stick in place among soil particles and promotes better and healthier growth.

Step 4 – Ensure your plants have plenty of water and light

Your plants should be having plenty of water and sunlight to promote their growth. This can be done by keeping the tomato seeds at a warm room temperature and spraying them with water twice a day. In doing so, your plants should sprout within a week. Once the seedlings break the surface, move them to bright light for optimum photosynthesis opportunities.

Step 5 – Be wise when watering

Make sure you thoroughly moisten the seed starting mix, until the containers feel heavy with water. Then spritz more water over the top to ensure your plants are hydrated.

Step 6 – Don’t rush hardening off

Don’t rush the process of exposing your plants to sunlight. Instead, gradually expose your indoor-grown tomato seedlings to increased sun and wind. A good hardening-off chamber is an opaque storage bin with the lid removed, this is because your plants will then be exposed to the elements but not so much that they will be damaged. Allow at least a week for your plants to prepare themselves for outdoor life.

Step 7 – Pot your plants in stages

As your plants grow, ensure that they are in a pot to accommodate their fluctuating size. It is important that your plants have enough room to expand as they progress into a fully grown tomato plant, if they are squashed or don’t have enough room this will hinder their growth.

Step 8 – TCL goes a long way

Last and certainly not least, ensure that you are growing your tomato plants with love and handle them carefully during the growing process. Never touch the main stem of tomato seedlings, because the juicy tissues are easily bruised which can affect the growth of your plant. As long as you handle them with care, your plant will flourish into a fully grown tomato plant.

And there you have it, our top tips on growing tomato seeds! Let us know if these tips work for you, we can’t wait to see your homegrown tomatoes!

It’s that time again… It’s time to learn more about our tomato varieties!

This month we will be discussing the piccolo variety.

Here are five facts you may not have known about piccolo tomatoes:

1. Piccolos have been the main variety in Hornsfield Nurseries for 18 years 
2. Piccolo is a cherry on the Vine type tomato
3. It is the most popularly variety in Northern Europe 
4. It has a sweet and slightly acidic taste
5. It can be enjoyed in warm or cold dishes 

Will you be enjoying a piccolo tomato in your next meal?

Eating healthier and having a better diet are goals for many of us, but it can be a lot more challenging than it sounds. Eating healthier is easier said than done, seemingly ‘healthy’ foods are sometimes concealing hidden salts and fats that actually make them worse for you than foods that are notorious for being ‘bad’ for you. However, this is something that you don’t need to worry about with tomatoes because tomatoes are food for health. 

Not only are tomatoes delicious (especially those from R&L Holt!) but they are filled with vitamins and nutrients that will keep your body healthy. The average tomato has only 0.2g of fat and is made up of vitamin C and E as well as a staggering 237mg of potassium. Whether eaten raw or cooked, tomatoes offer the same benefits no matter how they are enjoyed, so including them in your favourite dishes will make them much healthier.

There are a number of health benefits that come with eating tomatoes, such as: 

• Lowering the risk of some cancers 
• Lowering the risk of heart disease
• Helping to maintain a healthy immune system 

As well as being great for your health, eating tomatoes also helps to combat diseases such as vascular diseases, liver diseases and inflammatory bowel diseases. This is due to the beneficial antioxidants that are rampant in tomatoes protecting cells in your body. 

There are many positive aspects of eating tomatoes, besides their great taste, and even more reason to incorporate tomatoes into your daily diet!

The current tomato shortage in the UK has had a profound impact on supermarkets all across the country. From rationing tomato stock, to supermarket shelves being completely void of our favourite fruit, shoppers and producers alike don’t know when this will come to an end. 

Many growers across the UK have attributed this tomato shortage to poor weather conditions as well as the rising cost of living. This has resulted in reduced volumes of imported fruit. With a lot of Northern Europe delaying or not planting lit crops, due to the energy markets, many UK supermarkets have relied on more fruit from southern Europe and northern Africa this winter.

Our lit crop is in production producing Roterno, Strabena and Yelorita, at Sandylands. This normally starts in November but we delayed planting last year due to uncertainty on energy costs so started picking in early January.

So, we are in production during this fruit shortage and our conventional crops will be no later than normal starting later this week and mid to late March in other locations. UK growers in general expect most of the conventional crops to be in production in April which is a normal start date.

Britain is well known for many reasons, from the Royal Family to roast dinners, Britain has many iconic aspects. 

Tomatoes are foods that are arguably not usually associated with Britain by most people, especially when Yorkshire puddings and fish and chips spring to mind, but we’re here to tell you why British tomatoes are the tomatoes you should be buying!

1. British tomatoes are full of flavour 

British tomatoes are only picked when they are perfectly ripe, meaning they’re left attached to the vine for as long as possible. This gives them more time to develop extra flavour. The environment in which they are grown, in greenhouses, also contribute to their fantastic flavour. This means that we, as growers, can fully control the environment they are grown in and ensure the tomatoes get what they need. Temperatures can be regulated and the use of LED lighting ensures that there is enough light for plants to grow to their full potential.

    2. The variety available in the UK 

There are a range of tomato varieties in the UK, from sweet cherry tomatoes to big, bold beefsteaks, British producers are now producing tomatoes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and even colours. Each variety has their own unique flavours and textures that makes them memorable for different reasons, try some out for yourself!

     3.  The way British tomatoes are harvested 

By only being picked when they’re ready to eat, British tomatoes don’t spend time in refrigerated vehicles. Keeping tomatoes at low temperatures for an extended period of time severely impacts their final flavour, sometimes resulting in them not being as tasty. By getting them to shop shelves within days, British growers are able to capture this unmatched flavour.

There are many reasons to be proud of your British heritage, and now you can add their tomatoes to the list! Have you learnt something new about British tomatoes? Let us know!

What do you know about bees? Does honey and flying from plant to plant spring to mind?

It might surprise you but bees are actually one of the most important organisms in our everyday life! Their pollination is responsible for the survival of over 75% of the world’s plants, and of course, this includes tomatoes.

If you’re wondering, why are bees so important for tomato growing? We’re here to tell you how, and you better bee-lieve us!

Bees maintain the sequence of pollination in our tomato plants and therefore enable them to grow to a better standard. Bees are very beneficial for our tomato plants in that their pollination of plants keeps them healthy. The health of a plant is determined by how bees respond to it. It’s as simple as it sounds, if a plant is healthy, bees will gravitate towards it and take the pollen. Whereas, if a plant is not healthy, the bees won’t bother. So bees are a great indicator as to whether a tomato plant is healthy enough for production and are therefore extremely important for our tomato growing.

Next time you have a tomato from us, you have the bees to thank for its fresh flavour!

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to eat better? What better time than January to start a new and healthier diet? R&L Holt are here to help you achieve your goal. Not only do we produce healthy tomatoes, enriched with vitamins and minerals, but they are delicious too! 

Wondering what the health benefits of tomatoes are? Keep reading, we’re going to tell you the 3 main health benefits of tomatoes and how they will be a great addition to your diet!

1. Tomatoes improve gut and heart health 

The nutrients from tomatoes can improve the microbes in your gut, your microbiome. In turn, this can have positive effects on many aspects of your health. Your gut communicates with other parts of your body, including the brain, with new research suggesting that keeping your internal microbial community healthy is essential for good health.

2. Tomatoes boost recovery 

If you’ve been feeling under the weather this winter, tomatoes are a great way to boost recovery! This is because the nutrients in tomatoes work to repair any damage in your system, to get you back on track!

3. Tomatoes are beneficial for overall health 

Tomatoes are rich in nutrients, including plenty of vitamin C, as well as powerful cell protecting antioxidants and compounds. These plant-based nutrients are present in fresh tomatoes making them extremely beneficial for your health. 

Have these three facts tempted you to eat more tomatoes? Head over to our website to read more about the tomatoes we grow and their unique features!