A MUM is celebrating the fruits of her labour after managing to grow a pineapple in her home – thanks to her preference for keeping the thermostat turned up.

Margaret Hedges and her son, Martin, will soon dine on pineapple and ice cream – a dish that has been seven years in the making due to the difficulty of producing the tropical fruit in the English climate.

Three years ago the two (then unfruitful) pineapple plants were moved from Mr Hedges’s greenhouse to his 78-year-old mum’s house in Eynsham– where it appears the ‘blast furnace' temperature she keeps her home eventually did the trick.

Mrs Hedges said: “Every time my son visited he would rush up to the little bedroom and ask how the plant was doing.

“Then one particular day he just couldn’t believe it: there was a small flower coming up. It was such a surprise. From that it’s just gradually grown.

“We’ve had a joke since it started where we ask each other when we’ll be having pineapple chunks and ice cream.”

The long-awaited meal will be enjoyed soon to celebrate the pair’s success on a journey that started seven years ago.

After reading a book by the Royal Horticultural Society, Mr Hedges, who lives in Northamptonshire, was inspired to give pineapple growing a try and started off with two plants.

Though the plants grew well they bore no fruit and, after four years, Mr Hedges made the decision to move them into his mum’s house, where they were kept on the windowsill of her little bedroom.

The 52-year-old carpenter said: “I knew that I needed somewhere hot for it to work and I thought 'there’s nowhere hotter than my mum’s because it’s like a blast furnace in there'.”

His mother was dubious about the plan at first.

She said: "I said 'Rob, I hope I don't kill them off'. I'm not terribly good with house plants. I would forget about it and water it at random times."

But the plants remained and, when Mr Hedges visited his mum’s house in April, the first signs of an emerging pineapple were revealed.

Mr Hedges’ partner Karen Hall went to check on the plant and her deafening shriek let him and his mum know something was afoot.

Then, just a few weeks ago, the pineapple reached its full size and turned from green to yellow.

Mrs Hedges said: "It is unusual. People have been saying 'fancy that?'"

Now, after reaching success in the world of pineapples, the plan is to expand out to other tropical fruits - starting with mango.