They have long been synonymous with autumn and Halloween - but pumpkins could be in short supply this year after the scorching summer weather impacted harvests.
Pumpkin growers have told shoppers that the shortage could also mean paying a higher price for their Jack-o’-lanterns this year. Pumpkins aren’t the only produce to be affected by the heatwave, with farmers warning that other fruits and vegetables including potatoes, onions, carrots and apples could be smaller and wonkier than usual in supermarkets due to reduced quantities.
One of the UK’s leading pumpkin wholesale growers said that their harvest was down by a third this year. Guy and Emily French, who run Foxes Farm Produce in Essex, told The Mirror that the farm has already sold out of its crop after pumpkin patch organisers and party planners snapped them up on pre-orders.
