Si Barber Photo Archive : E: mail@sibarber.co.uk - T: 07739 472 922

  • Image Archive
  • License an image for online use
  • Copyright & Terms of Use
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • Main Site
Tags
  1. 51

    crawl
  2. 51

    crawling
  3. 51

    docks
  4. 51

    hilton
  5. 51

    hospital
  6. 51

    league
  7. 51

    organic
  8. 51

    pilgrims
  9. 51

    schoolchildren
  10. 51

    walks
  11. 51

    william
  12. 50

    bedfield
  13. 50

    2016
  14. 50

    audience
  15. 50

    barrel
  16. 50

    baruch
  17. 50

    chapel
  18. 50

    clothing
  19. 50

    companions
  20. 50

    debt
Latest tagged woman (248)

Waiting for the first customer of the day, Baxters Chip Shop, Long Sutton, Lincolnshire.

In 2023, the word 'spudflation' briefly entered the lexicon. A summer drought followed by heavy autumn rain resulted in one of the lowest potato harvests on record. The poor weather was compounded by rising energy costs caused by the Russia-Ukraine war and labour shortages at home after the threat of compulsory vaccinations following the Covid 19 Pandemic saw an exodus of migrant workers from the UK.

Some farmers reduced or abandoned potato planting altogether in favour of more lucrative crops such as oilseed rape. The situation worsened in 2024, with the wettest 18-month period since 1836 (October 2022 to March 2024) causing significant delays in planting and harvesting. Waterlogged fields prevented machinery from operating effectively, and some crops were left to rot. The National Farmers' Union and potato growers like Albert Bartlett warned of "spudflation"rising costs due to limited supply, with prices exceeding £1 per kilo at times, a 30-year high.

The 2024 harvest came in at around 4.14 million tonnes, one of the smallest in recent history, further strained by a reduced planting area ,down 10-15% from 2022. The National Federation of Fish Friers noted that 2023 and 2024 were among the most expensive potato years since 1976 , with forecasts for spring 2025 suggesting chip shop prices could reach £20 per 25kg bag of potatoes, up from £15-£17 pre-drought.

Latest tagged building (247)

Si Barber

Builder John Ingram of Norwich with his son Henry inspecting a sugar beet field in Great Plumstead, Norfolk,UK, on which they hope to build houses.

Links
54 of 568
  1. <
  2. ... 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 ...
  3. >
©Si Barber. Moral rights asserted.