Netting in various colours has been the traditional way to present citrus for more years than I care to remember, but there seems to be a new vogue coming in using over-wrapped trays to show off something special.

Certainly, the packs in Tesco’s Finest range are eye catching and cover a specially selected clementine called Clemengold, priced at £1.99 for eight, which stands out against the black background.

Similarly presented and also from South Africa, six Sweet Midknight oranges are benefiting from a 50 per cent extra offer. Originally bred as part of the Valencia selection, it is now regarded as a variety in its own right.

Kenya is probably best known for its numerous, high-quality mini vegetables as well as flowers, but I have often heard the opinion that there is still potential in that country for tropical fruit.

There was once a time when pineapples arrived via Nairobi airport and were sold in Old Covent Garden Market for around £1 each. There are some signs of resurgence, perhaps, with Marks & Spencer selling four baby-sized Hass avocados for £1.99.

Meanwhile, it looks as though convenience based on fresh cut is king, even if it is at a price. Following the route of beans, peas and carrot batons, Sainsbury’s, for example, has medium-strength Kenyan sliced red chillies at 75p for 40g.

And from the same source, Waitrose has developed, under its Waitrose Foundation label, a twinpack of ready-shelled peas and ready-trimmed Tenderstem broccoli, at £1.99 for 230g.

Nearer home, the concept of easier preparation has been extended. Complete meals, let alone courses, are the fashion of the day. While the temperatures are just about high enough to tempt purchases of soft fruit, M&S has taken its prepared fruit salad range another step further by introducing Greek-style raspberry yogurt accompaniment to the mix at £2.49 for 225g. The contents of the composite tub of Sensational Sunset salad is 40 per cent melon, 25 per cent nectarines and nine per cent raspberries, although this fruit also accounts for 26 per cent of the yogurt.

Turning to prepared vegetables, there has always been some debate about how much flag should be included in leek packs, while Tesco has introduced an Extra Trimmed presentation at £1.99 for 500g, grown in Cambridgeshire by Patrick Allpress.

And now that winter vegetables are beginning to take over more shelf space, I am reminded of the time when shoppers hardly recognised lines such as sweet potatoes and squash, but both are now on display.

The US has recently given sweet potatoes a boost with its branding campaign, although there are still other sources coming forward such as the South African Bush Bok variety, on sale at Sainsbury’s under its Taste the Difference label, at £2.49 for 750g. At the same time, butternut squash seems to be arriving in volume from Greece and Italy.

And something I have never recorded before - with Halloween coming up - are “culinary” pumpkins being flagged up by Tesco at £1 each.

Topics