Maybe it has taken a long time to get noticed, but garlic has now become a staple in British cooking. So it is not surprising that the simple white cloves available year round, loose, pre-packed, netted, bunched and in strings have been joined by other newly introduced contenders.

So far there have been smoked alternatives, jumbo sizes, as well as the massive Elephant arrival sourced from the Isle of Wight, where as far as our growers are concerned it all started.

Now colour is playing a part at Waitrose with a purple netted presentation from The Really Garlicky Company based in Scotland, branded La Mancha Mauve at £1.69 for three. As the name implies, it comes from Spain and is the Castano variety.

Another product where the range continues to widen at this time of the year is squash. While there are already a mass of shapes, sizes and colours - and much grown in the UK - Spain has entered the arena. Tesco has a variety called Honeynut, sold by weight at 99p/kg.

There is a trend in the prepared veg range for new potatoes being in the mix. In the same store, as part of a new range on special offer at £1.50 for 275g, there are Exquisa potatoes sourced from France, alongside Kenyan Tenderstem broccoli and fine beans.

Staying with descriptions that indicate their source, Marks & Spencer in its Simply More label has a super broccoli variety trademarked Beneforte at £1.49 for 240g.

Nearer home, British Rubens growers are taking steps to encourage purchase of this apple, which continues to gain in popularity. Sainsbury’s polybags at £1.50 for seven carry a sticker with the opportunity to win an iPad 2. More information is available at www.tastyrubens.co.uk. -

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