A new early-season plum variety Malling™ Elizabeth, with exceptional eating quality, was released on 13 July 2022 at Fruit Focus.
The Victoria-like fruit, which is firm yet both sweet and juicy, has been launched by Malling™ Fruits, the marketing brand for NIAB’s fruit varieties from its site at East Malling, Kent, together with leading UK top-fruit propagator FP Matthews Ltd. The variety is named Malling™ Elizabeth to honour the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
NIAB’s Business Development Manager Will Roberts said: “Malling™ Elizabeth has been trialled at NIAB’s Plum Demonstration Centre at East Malling and across grower sites in the UK since 2015, where it has proven to be a consistent cropper. Malling™ Elizabeth has proven popular with everyone who has viewed and tasted the variety and includes that essential ‘wow’ factor that Victoria-like plums can produce. We are confident that it will become the variety of choice for the early-season market.”
Initial stocks of Malling™ Elizabeth are available from FP Matthews Ltd, although supply is limited during the first phase of the variety’s release.