FRUIT fans will be dining on locally-grown strawberries and cream weeks before Wimbledon this year, thanks to the hot weather.

One York pick-your-own fruit farm opened for business at the weekend, at least two weeks earlier than it normally does.

The earliest varieties of strawberries grown at The Balloon Tree, Gate Helmsley, are ready for cropping, because the higher than normal temperatures and long sunshine hours have encouraged the plants to mature early.

Matthew Machin, who runs the farm with his brother, Will, said: “For the first time in history we opened the PYO this weekend which is unheard of for us.

“This year the crop seems to be exceptionally good with large, juicy strawberries.”

The farm estimates the crop is 20 per cent bigger than that of last year.

Normally the farm would expect to receive the first pickers sometime at the end of May or beginning of June, depending on the weather.

The farm has also seen its asparagus crop mature a month earlier than normal.

Temperatures in April hit 27C nationally over the Easter weekend.

The warm weather continued into the following week with the first showers not coming until after the royal wedding.

The Balloon Tree expects to have its PYO operation open now until the end of July and stocks both early and late varieties of strawberries.

Fruit farms across the country have been reporting very early crops.

The Gate Helmsley farm is one of several in the York area which provided soft fruit in bulk for residents willing to pick their own.

The season usually starts with strawberries, gooseberries and raspberries, followed by blackcurrants and redcurrants.

Blackberries, also known as brambles, are traditionally the last to mature.

So far, it is not clear whether the soft fruits that traditionally mature later in the summer will be earlier than normal this year.