Lettuce producers feel the heat as sales of Hampshire watercress soar

DEMAND for one of Hampshire’s most famous foodstuffs is rising as vegetable producers feel the heat from weeks of sunshine.

The ongoing heatwave has caused havoc among lettuce growers while cauliflower and broccoli stocks are also decreasing.

But more people are turning to watercress as a result, with producers around Alresford and Meon Valley reporting a sharp rise in sales.

Unlike lettuces, which struggle to grow in periods of no rainfall and hot temperatures, watercress is not affected by heatwaves and dry periods.

It grows in cool flowing spring water, which rises from underground aquifers and is constant, protecting it from extreme air temperatures.

Bosses at The Watercress Company appreciate the pressure that lettuce and salad leaf growers are facing but are grabbing the opportunity to sell more of their vitamin and mineral-rich product.

“I appreciate this is a difficult time for UK lettuce growers and we empathise as we are suffering too with our baby salad leaf, spinach and lettuce crops,” said Tom Amery, managing director.