There was a time when consumers treated any mushrooms – apart from the cultivated white variety – as a product to be avoided. The barriers started to come down with the arrival of chestnuts, and a wider trail was blazed by Shi’taki.

Since then the category has increased in leaps and bounds, including gathered wild varieties initially from Italy and France, and more recently eastern Europe. And Tesco is now stocking from Portugal, with Pied de Mouton priced at £1.99 per 100g.

English root and potato growers have had a difficult winter, which has even led to notices appearing in multiples carrying information to this effect in store. Nevertheless, there are still subtle signs that seasons are continuing to lengthen.

Marks & Spencer is still stocking Scottish young carrots at two packs for £3 instead of relying on sources usually drawn from as far afield as Guatemala and South Africa.

Multiples are constantly being berated by the media for only selecting fruit that looks pristine and is also the most popular size, however Waitrose has mini Braeburn available in polybags of six fruit for £1.40. Morrisons is also challenging that view, telling customers it buys whole crops to support British farmers.

There have also been clutches of new arrivals from South Africa. Tesco has new supersweet mini black figs at £1.50 per 125g called Ronde de Bordeaux, while Marks & Spencer continues to add more and more grape varieties to its Just Discovered range. The latest is called Krissy at two packs for £4.

The easy peeler citrus selection is still expanding at Asda, with Spain providing Gold Nugget satsumas at £1.25 for a 500g selection, although surprisingly the new offer is presented as

Class II. —