Category: News

This year the duration of British Tomato Fortnight is 23rd May – 5th June 2022, so why not take this opportunity to learn something new or build up your knowledge of British-grown tomatoes!

It can’t be denied that us Brits love tomatoes, which is evident from British people eating 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes every year! Keep reading to find out five facts about why we celebrate British tomatoes and see if you learn something new…

1. British- grown tomatoes are known for their flavour, because they’re grown locally, tomatoes are chosen for their taste instead of durability
2. The nutrition in tomatoes protects from illnesses such as cancer and maintains heart health
3. British tomatoes are good for the environment, because they are grown locally this reduces miles of transporting the tomatoes
4. Locally grown British tomatoes are kept on the vine for longer, meaning that they absorb more flavour
5. British tomato growers use eco-friendly methods to grow their toms such as nourishing their crops with rainwater and using bumble bees to pollinate plants

Did you find out something new this British Tomato Fortnight? Let us know and see you next time!

We are celebrating the British Tomato Fortnight in style!

EVG who we work with on packing and marketing our fruit, came up with the idea to get a tomato shipper into Sainsbury’s stores during the British Tomato Fortnight, 23rd May- 5th June. 

With Sainsbury’s being a long established customer of ours, it was a great opportunity for us to get on board and help promote British tomatoes. 

Since then, most Sainsbury’s stores now have a shipper like this somewhere in the fresh produce section. However, if you stop by Sainsbury’s in Leamington, you will see our very own Roly Holt.

After putting Roly’s picture on the stand, just a couple of days later, Stuart the store manager stated that sales of British tomatoes had increased by 120%. We are extremely happy about this and wish the growth of British tomato sales continue to increase.  

Let us know if you spot Roly in Sainsbury’s. Share on social media and tag us in your photos.

Here at R&L Holt, as well as our tomatoes, our customers are at the heart of our business, and we are grateful for all our loyal tomato-community. So, we thought that we’d share 5 facts about what we do here at R&L Holt so you can all get to know us better!

1.     We are a family run tomato business.
2.     We have been growing tomatoes since the early 1980s – for over 4 decades.
3.     All our tomatoes are grown hydroponically using Nutrient Film Technique
4.     We have 3 sites in the local area, Sandylands (Offenham), Hornsfield (Badsey) and Springhill (Lower Moor).
5.     We are the largest tomato growers in the Midlands!

If you have any more questions about what we do at R&L Holt, don’t hesitate to ask!

The conventional crops are now well underway. After a slow start mainly due to managing energy carefully, we now have new varieties being grown both in trial and commercially. 

The slow start was due to the unpredictability of the energy markets over the last six months and is something we have to consider when growing tomatoes.

However, the good news is that picks have ramped up this month ready for BTF. This week alone across our sites over 500,000 tomatoes have been picked!  

On 27th April 2022, the flying farmers association visited us at Springhill Nurseries. 

We had 20 light aircraft that flew into Defford air strip from all over the UK. The 56 visitors then participated in a tour of Springhill Nurseries, the crop, and then the biomass CHP plant and AD.

“Great to have a group visit again, so many questions and amazed faces as what goes into growing the perfect tomato!” Roly Holt. 

It really was a honour to have the flying farmers association visit us and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to Springhill Nurseries. 

It’s that time again, our variety of the month for May is the Dunne tomato!

Did you know…

1. Dunne is part of the Solanaceae tomato family 
2. The full name for the Dunne variety is Solanum lycopersicum
3. Dunne is edible to birds
4. It has poisonous leaves and roots
5. The lifespan of Dunne is perennial

Did you learn something new about the Dunne variety? Make sure you come back next month for five more facts about our June variety!

It’s that time again! Are you ready for 5 more fun facts about tomatoes?

Did you know that…

1. There are over 10 thousand varieties of tomatoes
2. The main thing that tomatoes are used for are sauces
3. In 2017, China produced 59.514,733 tonnes of tomatoes
4. Tomatoes can be traced back to 700 AD from the Early Aztecs
5. In the late 1700s the tomato was branded the ‘poison apple’ as it was believed that the aristocracy became ill and died after eating them

Have you learnt something new about tomatoes today? Come along next time to find out more interesting facts about tomatoes!

Have you ever gone to get a tomato, but it has rotted before you’ve even had chance to use it? Look no further, these 5 top tips of how to store your tomatoes at home will prevent this from happening to you again!

1. Store whole tomatoes of any variety at room temperature rather than in the fridge as the cold temperature results in the skin to turn mushy

2. Store cut, sliced, and chopped tomatoes in the fridge to prevent bacterial growth

3. Store tomatoes in an organised way to avoid them bruising

4. Flip tomatoes upside down for better storage

5. Canning tomatoes is an effective way to preserve them all year long

We hope these storage tips have helped you, let us know your favourite way to store tomatoes!

For April 2022 the tomato variety of the month is Arlinta so here at R&L Holt we’ll be sharing 5 facts about this type of tomato!

Did you know that…

1. Arlinta is the perfect cocktail tomato
2. They keep their shape when cooking
3. It is considered a premium medium-sized vine tomato
4. The variety has a strong smell and taste
5. Arlinta come from the Solanaceae Botanical Family  

Will Arlinta tomatoes be on your next shopping list?

At R&L Holt, we grow tomatoes all year round to help supply the ever growing demand from UK retailers. But how is this possible with limited natural heat and light?

Previously, our glasshouses were heated enabling us to grow tomatoes from February until November. However, to meet demand we needed a cost effective lighting solution that would ensure that we can grow tomatoes 12months of the year. 

The solution… a hybrid lighting system;

The HPS lighting supplies heat and light and the LED modules provide the tomatoes with precisely controlled and highly efficient interlighting. 

But what are the benefits of this system?

• All the plants can be lit at the points where they gain most benefit
• Various trials have demonstrated that this enables much higher and more efficient plant production
• The light provided can be converted more efficiently into sugars, the building blocks of the plant 

We were the first UK grower to invest in this style of technology to enhance our tomato growing production. 

Want to learn more about the technology we use throughout our glasshouses? Visit our what we do section.