The mass of summer fruit combined with the spell of hot weather must have been a blessing for the expanding fresh-cut sector. It helps not just to build a consumption habit with consumers, but is a way of adding value.

The result has been a whole new range of packs and mixes hitting shelves, with Tesco introducing several flowery named, freshly prepared attractions.

There is the Tutti Frutti Collection at £1.25/200g, which probably holds the record for the most varieties of pineapple, melon, kiwifruit, oranges, mango, grape and blueberries.

There is a more simple Fruit Twist (£1.70/125g), comprising strawberry, apple and pineapple in one and melon, nectarine and blueberry as the other.

Apart from increased choice, it appears that pack sizes are on the up too. Fruity Fingers, at £2, is a combination of melon, mango and pineapple, each in its own separate section.

Meanwhile, Tesco’s Limited Edition stonefruit range has seen Israel provide a new variety of plum virtually every week. The latest, called Granate, has a speckled reddish skin.

Staying with the summer trend of featuring mixed packs, soft-fruit supply is still in full swing, with English cherries proving that the industry is really enjoying a rejuvenation. I note that the healthy demand has also attracted the French.

What has been more unusual at Marks & Spencer is that cherries have become part of a dual pack with raspberries. At £2.79 for 220g, both Summersun and Driscoll Maravilla both come from Kent.

Tropical fruit must also be selling well, based on the range and origins of mangoes that are on the shelves. Sainsbury’s, for example, has turned to Senegal with a dual Ready Ripe pack for £1.49.

Looking at this category as a whole, however, I still feel there must be some confusion at customer level when deciding on maturity, as often fruit varies from dark red to pale green, regardless of source.

Turning to the simpler things in life, I would have thought that carrots and peas would come out top of the popularity poll when it comes to a choice of vegetables. Asda has capitalised on this by introducing a new mixed pack of 400g for £1.

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