It is the second consecutive year that promotional body CEAFL Val de Loire has been present at the Olympia event and following its last appearance sendings of the delicately flavoured winter salad leaf to the UK jumped by 40 per cent year on year.

The organisation's Pascal Poiron told freshinfo: "We have been giving away samples of Lamb's lettuce to hundreds of chefs, many of whom were not familiar with the product at all. Some avoid it because they expect it to be bitter like watercress, but it is not, it has a very delicate flavour. Our aim is to get more people to get to know the product through restaurants initially and to increase consumption gradually that way. We have been able to tell visitors to our stand about Lamb's lettuce and how to get hold of it in the UK."

Ninety-five per cent of French Lamb's lettuce is grown in the Loire Valley and although exports to the UK are only small in volume, it is still the third largest market after France and Germany for the product.

Grower-exporter Olivier de Grandmaison was also at the show to educate chefs. "The main season is from October to April, although we can grow the product year round using very accurate irrigation systems to cool the leaves as they grow over the summer. We really want to tell people about the product and get them to try it."

French producers grow 24,000 tonnes of Lamb's lettuce a year. Last season the UK imported 700t.

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