The long, cold winter has sharply reduced the number of squirrels that cobnut growers have had to contend with this season, leading to an above-average crop, according to Kentish Cobnuts Association membership secretary Martin Adam.
"I'd say squirrel numbers are down to 10-20 per cent on normal this year," he said. "But they are a resilient species and they'll be back. More people are planting cobnuts, but not on a large scale. There is only around 280ha in total, but it's steadily increasing."
While recent German breeding has introduced the Gunslebert variety, "the 100-year-old Kentish Cob variety is the most reliable", Adam added.
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