ational brands and supporting promotional material that once dominated retail shelves up until the 1980s have lost their prominence, but can still be sighted. One recent example at The Co-operative is a 750g Outspan easy peeler punnet for £3. The other sign of how times have changed is that the brand is Nadorcotts, sourced in Spain.

Meanwhile Waitrose is labelling Spanish salustianas as juicing oranges – a fact that has been appreciated for a long time by the Dutch public, making this variety their top choice for squeezing at home.

Cherries have become less of a luxury now the fruit is available virtually year round. But there are still sources that have found a niche in the market at this time of the year. Asda snack packs at £1.50/100g have travelled as far as from Australia to be on shelf.

It has also newly introduced cherimoya – better known as custard apples – grown in Spain, to its exotic range. They are priced at £2.47 for two, and come with preparation instructions.

Another lesser-known source has appeared in the endless tomato range, with Tesco sourcing cherry varieties from Senegal.

The choice of description takes many forms and as the range of Steve’s Leaves continues to expand, it has come up with the message that the baby pea shoots, spinach and chard at £1/60g are not only “packed in natural air in Hampshire” but are a “Stupidly Tasty” mix.

Stir fry is now very much part of the prepared selection, with Marks & Spencer widening the appeal with a new coriander and chive pack at £1.79/160g. The additional ingredients are pak choi (31 per cent), Tenderstem broccoli (25 per cent), red cabbage (18 per cent) and salad onions (18 per cent). —