Penncroft Farms in Farnham, Surrey, were preparing for a “very optimistic” harvest on “another lovely hot, sunny day”.

“We’ll probably start on Saturday,” said Giles Porter.

Wheat varieties include Access, Claire, Malacca, Solstice, Einstein and Gladiator which all looked “reasonably good and possibly a bit better than last year”.

The rape looked “full of potential”, and both the quality and the yield was “definitely looking better than last year” with a thicker crop and lower disease levels.

The beans also appear better than last year, with nicer pods. Mr Porter was “very optimistic about the spring beans”.

But, the barley was not looking so good on the heavy ground and was “slightly [too] dry from the heat”