Category: News

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!  

On Sunday 8th January we had the annual Festive 5 held at Springhill Nurseries.

It was the 10^th time the Festive Five race has been held and it was bigger than ever.

This year we raised funds for Friends of Fladbury and Worcestershire Breast Unit Haven https://www.worcsbreastunithaven.com/

Massive thanks to event organisers Lou Bugg and Julie Cross, all the volunteers from the car parking, course marshalls encouraging the runners, and of course the tea and homemade cakes supplied at the end!

We hope everyone who took part enjoyed.

We all know that January isn’t the most exciting month, Christmas is over and we have to start those New Year’s resolutions we’ve been adamant we would do. But that doesn’t mean that January can’t be fun! Here are some fun facts about tomatoes to cheer you up this January…

1. There are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes 

Many people think that all tomatoes are the same, but this couldn’t be more wrong! There are thought to be more than 3,000 varieties of heritage tomatoes currently being grown worldwide, and more than 15,000 known varieties in total. That’s a lot of tomatoes to try! 

2. Tomatoes are technically a fruit 

The age old debate of whether a tomato is a fruit or a vegetable has been causing division for as long as we can remember, but we’re here to tell you that a tomato is in fact a fruit. This is because a fruit is defined as the edible part of the plant containing seeds, such as a tomato. Although we don’t recommend having them as a dessert, no matter how much we love them! 

3. China has the largest production of tomatoes worldwide

Take a guess, where do you think the most tomatoes are grown? Italy? Britain? India? Wrong, China is actually the largest producer of tomatoes, accounting for an approximate quarter of the world’s total production!

Have you learnt something new about tomatoes? Maybe your next New Year’s resolution could be to learn three more facts about tomatoes? We’ll see you next time!

On 4 th January, we were featured in a BBC news article discussing how we are dealing with
the current cost of living and energy crisis. It is a difficult time for many and we wanted to
inform people of what we are doing to manage our business during this time. As we generate
our own power at R&L Holt, we realised that we could make more money by selling our
energy as we do not depend on gas to maintain our plant growth. The surge in energy prices
hasn’t been all bad for us here as this means that we can afford to upgrade our LED lights
that provide our plants with heat and warmth during the colder months. This shows the
advantages of using solar powered tools to grow our crops, not to mention the positive
implications this has on the environment! You can read the full article here.

We said we’ve been busy, and we certainly have been! This month we have also been
featured on the Jeremy Vine show with Roly discussing our multiple sites and our delay in
winter plant production. Due to the current energy crisis, we have only been producing 50%
of the produce that we usually do due to having to delay growth by two months to keep up
with the current times.

The 300% increase in the energy market has resulted in our punnets increasing in price by
between 30-40p. Unfortunately, this means we are making a loss on each punnet due to this
increase that aligns with the cost of living. But the good news is that it is viable for us to keep
going due to the renewable energy that we produce! This has been a huge help in maintaining
our business as we can sell this energy back to the National Grid.

We understand the challenges faced by consumers and supermarkets alike. This is a very
uncertain and difficult time for many and we would like to thank you, our customers and
supporters, for your loyalty to our business and sticking by us during these times. We are
very grateful to have been featured on the BBC website and to have been interviewed by
Jeremy Vine. This is a great opportunity for others to understand what goes on behind the
scenes of our business and we’re looking forward to what else 2023 has instore for R&L
Holt!

As we steadily progress through the new year, we thought that we would share with you an insight into what we do and how we do it to give you, our loyal following, a better understanding of what really happens at R&L Holt…

1. Growing 

Arguably what we are best known for, growing tomatoes is a huge part of our company as we have focused on growing tomatoes in glass houses since the mid 1980’s.

Up until 2000, we used to grow predominantly ‘classic’ round tomatoes and then we started to trial cherry tomatoes and large vine varieties to expand our produce.

Since then we have seen the increased demand for on the vine varieties over the last 10 years.

In the last five years we have started to grow different coloured varieties ranging from red, yellow, orange, purple to green, making our greenhouses bright and colourful!

We use hydroponics to grow the crops which are predominantly NFT (Nutrient Film Technique). The plants are suspended on hanging gutters and we manage the plants vertically in a high wire crop. Our most recent glasshouse is 7m tall meaning that there is plenty of space for growth. 

2. Sustainability 

To ensure the eco-friendly growth of our plants, sustainability plays a huge role in what we do at R&L Holt. Wondering how we do this? Keep reading…

We use recycled wood chips in our boilers to provide hot water to heat the glasshouses which are stored in buffer tanks. 

Carbon dioxide, a byproduct of an anaerobic digester, is used in the crops to aid with photosynthesis. 

Solar panels enable the power to run pumps that irrigate the crops and climate control helps to ensure we are not wasting energy.

Thermal screens keep heat in the glasshouse, but also help to shade the crops during bright weather. Our LED lighting uses up to 40% less electricity than conventional lighting and reduces the requirement to import power. Therefore, we don’t rely on the National Grid supply.

Among our busy schedule growing our tomato plants sustainably, we have made sure that there is still plenty of time for fun…

Additionally, we run a successful football team called ‘Side-shoots FC’ which kicked off (pardon the pun) in 2006.

The team, made up of staff and friends across the sites, plays in a local five-a-side league. We are proud to have regularly won the Premiership over the last 14 years – to the extent that we now need a new trophy cabinet!

We hope that this has given you a better insight into what we do here and how we do it! Happy New Year, we’ll see you next time.

Here at R&L Holt, we have a wide range of varieties and are proud of how each thrive under our care in different ways. This blog is dedicated to our seven main varieties and what makes them so unique and special!

Piccolo –  After starting this trial variety over 20 years ago, piccolo has been the main type for 18 years. It is a cherry on the Vine type that is the most popular variety in Northern Europe due to its sweet, but not sugary, slightly acidic taste. It’s intense long lasting distinctive flavour and aroma is the perfect addition to any palette. It’s even a favourite in the fussiest of children’s lunch boxes as it can be accompanied with any cold or warm dish (making lunch prep much easier for parents and caregivers!)

Yelorita – This Yellow Cherry on the Vine type has a beautiful appearance with its luminous yellow colouring and very uniform neat trusses. It has a special and unique flavour which is delicious on its own or mixed in with a salad which makes it the perfect tomato to during summer due to its bright colour and taste, (some even say it’s like having a sun in the mix!)

Roterno– This premium medium vine tomato is the perfect size to be enjoyed sliced up in a lunchtime sandwich or as a go to variety in many tomato based dishes. It is one of our most versatile varieties which is why it is one of our most popular.

Arlinta – This popular cocktail variety has a strong rich aroma and taste which is why it is such an unforgettable type. It is a great choice for simple dishes due to its unique flavour adding rich taste to any dish it accompanies. It is also great for cooking as it keeps its shape.

Duelle – The smallest of them all duelle is a baby plum snack tomato. It’s perfect on its own or accompanied in both warm or cold dishes meaning that this type can be enjoyed in any dish. It’s small size makes it easy to add to any meal as it’s not too overpowering. 

Dunne – This baby plum on the vine is a great looking tomato with a distinctive taste to be eaten on its own or a multiple array of dishes. The dunne variety is small and sweet, and as we know good things come in small packages!

Strabena – Strabena is a new premium min-plum variety. Its fantastic deep intense red colour complements the sweet fleshy taste that this variety provides. It is very popular with local farm shops and deli’s due to its unique shape and taste, adding an unforgettable taste to any dish it accompanies.

Have you tried any of our seven varieties? Let us know about your favourite!