Consumer demand for British produce has soared following the release of the new series of Clarkson’s Farm, which returned to TV screens this month.
Demand data from Ocado Retail, the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, shows that sales of meat, fish and fruit and veg from its Best of British aisle jumped significantly week on week following the series’ return to screens on 3rd May.
Now in its third series, the programme follows Jeremy Clarkson as he wrestles with the daily challenges of running his 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds countryside. The latest episodes have seen Clarkson introduce pigs to the farm for the first time, which has coincided with a significant increase in sales of Ocado pork products, including sausages, bacon and gammon.
British pork products with largest week on week increase in sales:
- M&S Select Farms British 12 Free Range Pork Chipolatas (+134%)
- M&S Select Farms British 6 Free Range Pork Sausages (+108%)
- The Black Farmer Wiltshire Cured Bacon – Smoked (+56%)
- M&S British Dry Cured Gammon Boneless (+42%)
- Packington Free Range Loin of Pork Whole Roasting Joint (+42%)
Another new introduction to the farm has been Lion’s Mane mushrooms, which Clarkson is growing and selling as power in Diddly Squat’s farm shop. This clearly captured consumer interest, as Ocado data** shows searches for Lion’s Mane increase by 482% this week compared to last.
A theme of this series has been a focus on regenerative and sustainable farming practices. Sales of organic produce have been among the highest week-on-week increases, with mushrooms, butter and kefir all seeing significant growth.
British organic products products with largest week on week increase in sales:
- All Things Butter Organic Salted Butter (+38%)
- M&S Organic British Salted Butter (+34%)
- Biotiful Organic Baked Milk Kefir Riazhenka (+30%)
- Ocado Organic Portabellini Mushrooms (+17%)
With consumer demand for organic and sustainable produce growing, Ocado and the Soil Association have announced a new project to provide education to British farmers on nature and climate friendly food production at five demo farms across the UK. Sessions will cover a wide range nature-friendly farming techniques, including agroforestry, restoring hedgerows and using more diverse crop rotations.
Ocado launched its Best of British aisle earlier this year and it now contains more than 800 items, the largest selection of any supermarket, ranging from shiitake mushrooms and sweetcorn to steak and kefir. Unlike other supermarket British aisles which can include products manufactured in the UK with ingredients from around the world, Ocado’s aisle exclusively features products both grown and produced locally. Research*** among more than 2,000 consumers undertaken by Ocado and Savanta reveals growing public demand for British produce with almost three quarters believing it important that fresh produce such as potatoes (72%), apples (71%) and strawberries (70%) are locally sourced.
Martha Springham, produce trading manager at Ocado Retail, says: “Programmes like Clarkson’s Farm show consumers just how hard Britain’s farmers work, so it’s brilliant to see our customers supporting them. Sales of British produce, from pork loin to kefir to mushrooms, have risen dramatically since we launched Ocado’s Best of British aisle, which contains more than 800 quality products spanning fruit, vegetables, meat, eggs and dairy. British produce is among the best in the world and we will always do what we can to champion it”.
