I got up at 3am to buy the most popular item in Birmingham market and I can see why the rush

Other than a flight, there are only a few things that will get me out of bed at 3am. Mango season is definitely one of them. It’s the surest sign that summer is coming and so begins the battle to get your hands on the highly sought after fruit.

These aren’t the big yellow-fleshed fruits you get in the supermarket, these are rich, orange-dripping mangoes that boast varying levels of sweetness. They are soft and delicate, not crushingly heavy, and arrive individually wrapped in netting to survive transit from India or Pakistan.

The mango season runs roughly from May to August, but lots of the highly prized Alphonso variety arrive in mid-May and last for a very short window. The season ends with the first drop of monsoon rains in India and Pakistan, further increasing appetite and fruit fever in the UK.

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During Covid, fewer cargo flights to the UK have boosted mango prices, so fruit-craving Brummies will often watch the rains in India and find out when the best time is to pick up a box of Alphonso, known as “ the mango king.

You can buy boxes of six to 12 mangoes from the many South Asian owned stores in Birmingham, but the towering boxes don’t last long and I wanted to see if it was cheaper to buy them wholesale. I set off just before 4am to hit the town’s merchants and restaurants for a box of the good stuff.

A crop of Alphonso arrives in England around May, followed by the Kesar variety, then Dusheri and Langra by late summer. Gliding through the sleepy streets of Birmingham on my way to Birmingham Wholesale Market, I have a firm idea of ​​what I’m looking for in my mind, Alphonso mangoes which taste as sweet as nectar and the Kesar variety which are a bit more tart.

I arrive in ten minutes thanks to the quiet roads and can see the yellow glow of the squares as I pull into the huge parking area. Greeted by a security guard who leads me to a parking spot between two trucks, I hear the hum of the vendors inside, selling everything from fresh crab to eggs, fruit and beef shank.

I entered the market to be greeted with a flurry of activity under fluorescent lights and straight towards the mangoes. There were about two or three shops selling mangoes and the piles were going fast.

Shopkeepers were leaving the market with overturned carts full of mangoes, destined to be sold in the city’s Asian supermarkets. After walking around the whole market and deciding on a stall to buy from, I bought a box of 12 Kesar mangoes for £18 and a box of 12 jumbo Alphonso mangoes for £22.

This is a price increase from pre-Covid where you could get a case of Alphonso for around £18. There are no bargains in the wholesale market especially if, like me, you only buy one or two boxes.

I imagine those who buy larger quantities get a slightly better price, but everyone knows how exclusive the fruit is and is happy to pay for quality. The annual ritual of buying the first box of mangoes of the season is cherished by families across the country, and people are ready to pay premiums for a good harvest. Despite the price, I didn’t regret getting up early.