Where has all the tarragon gone ?

[Hum]

Amateur Jamie Olivers everywhere can't do without it, but British shops are facing a shortage of tarragon. Where has the humble herb gone?

Three of the big four supermarkets have confirmed they have felt a pinch with the global supply of this season's tarragon.

Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons all say their suppliers have noticed their imported products were down, but hope, with the UK season about to start in April, supplies will be back to normal.

What's being blamed for the shortage? The weather, of course. Countries that grow tarragon in winter have been affected by the climate, says Mathew Prestwich, the owner of R&G Fresh Herbs, which supplies Waitrose.

"There's been very adverse weather in Israel with very low temperatures and high winds, and tarragon needs very long day lengths, and high temperatures to grow," he says.

"We grow some in Tenerife and [mainland] Spain, but again they've had unusually bad weather which means it's been slow."

Prestwich says French tarragon, which is the type largely imported to and grown in the UK, is a slow-growing plant, which can only be grown from cuttings, not seeds. "So if there are any problems with any of the crops, it takes a long time to replenish."

He adds that they had seen growth for about three weeks and then nothing for a couple of weeks, while the herbs re-grew. "All UK products are very, very low," he says.

The tarragon plant is part of the daisy family and goes by the name "little dragon" because of the hot effect of the oil in its roots.

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