According to the final newsletter of the season published by Sopexa, which runs the promotion of French produce in the UK, greengage tastings have proved a hit. The promotion was a first for Sopexa and Sainsbury's ran the in-store sampling at most of its stores during the height of the season.

Shoppers' reactions revealed that the fruit was juicy and sweet and most importantly helped raise the profile of an often-overlooked fruit in-store. The tastings were backed by an information and recipe leaflet which proved extremely popular. Some 314 stores stocked French greengages for six weeks.

Another campaign victory was the well-established roadshow which this season culminated in a sing-along to the Sound of Music event at Marble Hill overlooking the Thames. Some 4,500 people were at the concert as were promotional agents to hand out samples of peaches, nectarines, pears, plums and greengages. More than 20 prizes were donated by Summer Fruits from France too.

And an on-pack holiday competition closed this week with the receipt of more than 3,000 entries. Detailed entry forms were attached to packs of French peaches and nectarines for four weeks during the season with an opportunity to win 243 prizes from holidays to beach towels.