Fruit and nuts enjoy hottest summer on record

Almonds on the Isle of Wight have had their highest yield so far.

This year has seen tree branches sagging under the weight of apples and grapes ready on the vine weeks ahead of schedule.

While some crops have suffered during the hottest summer on record, others are thriving.

One volunteer at The Vyne in Hampshire says it is the "best ever" bumper harvest she has seen in a decade.

We have been taking a look at the crops across Hampshire that have made the most of the warm weather.

Apples

An army of volunteers is needed to harvest these apples at The Vyne

"It's absolutely extraordinary," says gardener Emma Greenwood as we walk through the orchard at The Vyne.

"Even people who have been here for 20-odd years say they've never seen anything like it."

Amanda Leeks has been volunteering for half that number and thinks there is "double" the normal amount of apples.

She says: "I've been here 10 years and this has been the best ever bumper harvest.

"We've been harvesting since mid-July and we will be picking probably until November."

Nuts

California? No, the Isle of Wight is seeing record numbers of almonds this year

On the Isle of Wight another crop is thriving - almonds.

Mike King runs the Stockbridge Nuttery in Whitwell where he grows a variety of nuts, including walnuts and cob nuts.

But it is his award-winning almonds which are centre-stage again this year.

"This is the highest-yielding year," he says.

"They were earlier last year but the quality wasn't there, this year they seem to be quite happy to hang on a bit and get the flavour and size to develop".

Mike started planting nut trees a decade ago and sells most of his produce at local Christmas markets on the island.

He says that while the nuttery has grown, so have the size of the nuts, thanks to the warmer weather.

Grapes

"We are on average three weeks ahead"

While it has been the sheer quantity for apples and nuts, for Sam Phillipot and his grapes at The Grange, it is all about the timing.

"We are on average three weeks ahead," he says.

He has had to scramble for pickers who have been drafted in to help.

"Vineyards who are picking further east are usually a few weeks ahead of us and now we are even picking before some of them."

But what about the taste?

"The juice that is being pressed at the moment are very clean without any dusty flavours, it's very nice."

Where are we headed?

"It's a complicated picture depending on where you are in the UK"

Many farmers this year have been struggling to cope with a lack of rain and long dry spells.

So while the weather has brought benefit for some, Dr John Redhead from the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology says there may be a catch.

"There are some crops which are real staples of the current UK agricultural system which are likely to really struggle under climate change," he says.

Wheat, potatoes, onions, even strawberries may all struggle here in the South as our climate gets warmer.

"But if you go up to the North East and into Scotland actually the warming climate is likely to be beneficial for some of those crops", Dr Redhead says.

"So it's a complicated picture depending on where you are in the UK."

While some have struggled others have thrived, either way, 2025 is proving a harvest to remember.