I have often had a bleat about the apparent lack of knowledge that consumers display when asked about the difference between various easy peelers.

So congratulations to Sainsbury’s for explaining the differences on some well-positioned shelf barkers in the citrus aisles. I hope that other retailers will now follow suit - on the assumption that they use more or less the same descriptive text, or else they could further muddy the waters.

So here we have it:

• Satsumas - Sweet, juicy, easy to peel and very rarely contain pips

• Tangerines - Juicy, full of flavour, may contain pips

• Clementines - Sweet, intense flavour, occasionally contain pips.

Tesco is introducing more oranges varieties under its Finest label. One of the latest is a South African-grown fruit called Cambria, with a net of four priced at £1.99.

Whatever the weather may be doing, this is a peak time for the salad category, which this year has seen the expansion of selected, exclusive and now trademarked arrivals. Marks & Spencer has a new baby leaf Italian style pack, linked to an Italian meal deal.

Theoretically, one of the ways to increase sales is to make the packs bigger. Sainsbury’s has taken the message to heart with its Big Salad Bowl at £1.70, bearing the slogan “Salads to go...”. For those readers interested in the mix, the 300g square bowl holds 32 per cent mixed salad leaves - green batavia and/or curly endive; 27.5 per cent red cabbage; 14.5 per cent white cabbage; 13 per cent grated carrot; four per cent pepper; and three per cent each of sweetcorn, rocket and red onion.

As far as strawberries are concerned, the offer is becoming increasingly complex, with more and more varieties on offer. This week, in its seasonal food guide, Waitrose has unveiled English Rose, which it stocks on an exclusive basis.

Up until now, I thought Jubilee was only associated with that very successful strawberry variety, but Sainsbury’s has also applied the name to what is in effect a mini sub-sector in the salad category. Packs of vine tomatoes, priced at £1.99 or £2.50 for two, and described as having a home-grown flavour, are actually identified on the packaging as Elegance tomatoes grown in the Netherlands.

There always seems to be plenty of garlic around nowadays, usually sold loose or in convenient white netted packs. For something different, Lidl has gone further afield to China via an Italian importer called Malvi Cervati, whose buyer obviously has an eye for an attractive pack, priced at a modest 69p for 10 bulbs.

And finally the exotic mushroom offer has again been widened at Tesco, with Anis salad mushrooms grown in the Netherlands at £1.49 for 100g. I assume they can be eaten raw - I’ll let you know!

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