Martin Brown wrote:
The furthest north I can remember seeing them growing wild and fruiting
is in the vicinity of Orange in France in S facing natural warm spots. I
don't know if the fruit always ripen before winter comes. They grow
pretty well in the hills around Tuscany too.
Looks like they want warmer conditions than fig and well drained soils.
I expect it would be all but impossible to fruit one in the UK without
immense investment in artificial heat and light.
ISTR there are some growing in the Eden centre sub tropical zone.

My friend has one near Tour, in France, in a little village call Veuil.
I wondered why I had never seen them, like you, further north until she
bought that farm. It's because the area she's in is very, but very, dry
and hot in summer. She makes her own grenadine now, which is just
lovely and beats real lemonade ...