A NEW project at a Taunton farm means a supermarket can offer its customers strawberries from the UK all year round.

Strawberry grower, Bradon Soft Fruit Farm, is using technology to grow 'winter strawberries' - and supply them to supermarket chain, Aldi.

The project, based at Bradon Farm in Taunton, used bespoke LED lights and renewable energy sources to mimic summer growing conditions from November to March.

As well as this, the water is reused and recycled, and any plant waste is spread to agricultural land.

The year-round production will also mean Bradon Soft Fruit Farm will be able to extend its employee contracts from seasonal to permanent.

John Downes, managing director at Global Berry, said: “We have been supplying strawberries to Aldi since 2016 and are delighted to be able to introduce this exciting new technology with their support.

“The UK strawberry market has been growing consistently in the last few years so it’s great that we can now meet this demand in a sustainable way, while also being able to offer our team year-round employment.”

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The strawberries are now available in select Aldi stores across the country at £2.39.

Julie Ashfield, managing director of Buying at Aldi UK, added: “Building long-term relationships with British suppliers has been key to our growth, and we’re proud to support British farms.

“Global Berry has been a trusted supplier for six years and we’re delighted that we have been able to help them develop this innovative technology at their local fruit farms. We’re looking forward to continuing our work with them on even more exciting projects in the future.”

Aldi has recently committed to spending an additional £3.5 billion a year with British suppliers by 2025.