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British shops and supermarkets should stock a greater variety of seasonal native plum varieties or future generations of children will grow up without recognising and tasting one of the most important fruits of the British diet warns Brogdale Farm, Faversham, home of the National Fruit Collections. 

That’s the message from Brogdale Farm’s plum day which takes place Sunday 15 August 2010 and which showcases the best of native British plums to taste, cook with, grow and take home to eat.

Sally Roger, marketing manager at Brogdale Collections comments: “Why are native British plums so hard to find when there is such a delicious variety to choose from? When in season they are cheap to buy and can be eaten straight from the tree or cooked and preserved in many different ways.” 

Sally continues: “When visitors to Brogdale Farm are asked to think of plum varieties the popular Victoria variety is the one most frequently mentioned, mainly because that, and only a couple of others, are widely available from supermarkets and shops.  Brogdale Farm, however, has in its collection 350 varieties of dessert and culinary plums plus damsons and bullaces.”

Plums are grown in many different countries and they feature in many national cuisines however British retailers have tended to ditch the smaller, sweeter varieties of British plums, which can be susceptible to late frosts, in favour of the blander and larger southern European varieties.

The sweeter varieties of plums such as Agen, Stanley, Sugar and Imperial which are used to make prunes have in Britain always had the unfortunate association with school dinners and keeping ‘regularity’, whereas across the channel our French neighbours hold prunes in higher regard, especially when cooking pork and rabbit dishes.

So how can a generation of Britain’s be encouraged to eat more plums? Sally concludes: “By encouraging people to try the many different varieties, encouraging them to ask retailers to stock them or to grow them at home to eat and to cook with.”

Entry to Brogdale Farm is free on plum day and tickets are available to buy for the guided tours and self-guided walks of the orchards. Expert guides will be on hand to pass on their knowledge and experience of Brogdale Farm’s great collection of plums and other fruit. Visitors will also have the opportunity to taste, select and purchase plums grown at Brogdale.

Other attractions at Brogdale Farm include the Market Place, which offers stress-free shopping with opportunities to buy fresh local produce, plants and shrubs, local apple juice, ciders and gifts. The celebrated Butcher of Brogdale offers a wide range of meats, cheeses, pies, pickles and jams, while the Courtyard Restaurant Cafe serves delicious cakes, cream teas, sandwiches and freshly-cooked meals. For children, and adults, the Faversham miniature steam railway, the only 9” gauge  public railway in the country, will be offering rides through the orchards.

Further details can be found at www.brogdalecollections.co.uk