Most Popular Fruits in Your Fruit Punnet or Tray – UK Edition
Fruit is an essential component of our diets. It is an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre, and can help reduce the risk of medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
As with everything, we all have our own preferences. Some people love oranges because they have an inviting fragrance and can quench your thirst. Others would rather have a bowl of sweet, juicy strawberries.
In this respect, an obvious question springs to mind – what are the UK’s favourite home-grown fruits? And where are they most popular?
By using Google Keyword Planner to analyse the average amount of searches made each month for the fruits across cities in the UK (from Feb 2022 – Feb 2023), we were able to determine the demand for those fruits in each area. This has then been weighted against the population of each city to give an overall score out of 100.
Here is what you are likely to find in your fruit punnet or tray in cities across the country.
Strawberries
Strawberries have a wide array of health benefits, from supporting your heart’s wellbeing to regulating your blood sugar levels. What’s more, if you pair them with dark chocolate or balsamic vinegar, you’re in for a delicious treat.
People from Norwich seem to know this very well. With an average monthly search volume of 320, this vibrant city in Norfolk is the area where food shoppers are most likely to add strawberries to their baskets.
Apples
As the famous saying goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Rich in nutrients and with a crunchy texture, apples are a must-have on dinner tables in Salford.
Each month in the Salford area, apples receive an average search volume of 29,000, and local residents have a seemingly sweet tooth for Granny Smiths and Pink Ladies. Manchester, its neighbouring metropolis, is the second city for most apple-related searches.
Cherries
With an average monthly search volume of 170, which has been weighted against its population of 103,900, Lincoln is the UK city with the biggest soft spot for cherries, gaining an overall score of 100.
These juicy, deep-red stone fruits are perfect for tasty tarts and are typically in season between June and July.
People from Truro and Norwich share an interest in cherries too, but with a total score 78.73 and 72.15, they don’t quite make the top spot.
Pears
A great source of fibre and plant compounds, pears are a sweet, crisp fruit with a vast range of health benefits.
If you visit Truro, you might see a fair few pears in local people’s fruit bowls. In fact, based on average monthly searches that have been weighted against population size, this picturesque Cornish city totals a score of 100.
Truro residents are clearly pear enthusiasts, followed closely by fruit lovers in Bangor (Northern Ireland) and Cambridge.
The small city of Ripon (near Harrogate) in North Yorkshire deserves a special mention too. Despite its population of 16,700, it doesn’t shy away from its craving for pears and clinches a top-ten position.
Raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, and blackberries
When it comes to berries, there is a clear winner: Cambridge. People in this world-famous university city have a strong appetite for raspberries, blackberries, and blackcurrants, scoring the highest monthly searches across the UK for all three fruits.
The only city that edges out in front is Norwich, which at a search volume of 140 per month compared to its population of 144,000, narrowly beats Cambridge when it comes to its love for blueberries.
Also on the podium, we have Norwich for raspberries, Liverpool for blackberries, Manchester for blueberries, and Oxford for blackcurrants.
Truro features in the top-three for three of these delicious berries – all except blueberries, where it has been beaten by Manchester and Leicester to take the fifth spot.
Edinburgh citizens are keen raspberry and blackcurrant hunters too, but score low for strawberry searches, even though Scottish farmers produce about 25,000 tonnes of strawberries each year.
Most and Least Fruit-Loving Cities
Wondering what the most and least fruit-loving cities in the UK are? Here’s a quick breakdown of the areas that regularly – or seldom – search for fruits.
Bottom 10:
- Newry – 9.87
- Chester – 10.99
- Lisburn – 11.47
- Wakefield – 12.01
- Lichfield – 14.35
- Bangor (Wales) – 14.40
- Chichester – 16.87
- Perth – 19.02
- Hereford – 20.15
- Lancaster – 21.64
Top 10:
- Cambridge – 100.00
- Truro – 91.05
- Norwich – 84.78
- Bangor (Northern Ireland) – 75.02
- Manchester – 74.47
- Salisbury – 72.57
- Liverpool – 71.26
- Lincoln – 69.50
- Edinburgh – 69.31
- Dublin – 68.01
So, here are the cities in the UK who have an appetite for different types of fruits. Check out our infographic for more details on the areas across the country that share a passion for strawberries, pears, apples, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and blackcurrants.
At Waddington, we are proud to offer high-quality fruit punnets and trays that are designed for recycling as well as the best possible fruit product protection. Find out how we can help.
