While there have a been a fair number of chef and celebrity endorsements to back various fruit and vegetable products, very few personalities have become a brand in their own right.

In the fresh produce industry itself, it is almost unheard of, but this week Budgens has listed four new branded prepared salad packs under the Steve’s Leaves label to add to its existing range.

There are two 30g offerings of Baby Watercress and Super Hot Rocket priced at £1 and two 50g mixes of shoots and leaves, as well as Wild Red Rocket and milder leaves at £1.50.

Aimed at the top end of the market, other stockists include Partridges and Harvey Nichols. The product contains exclusive, new leaves, including wasabi-flavoured super hot rocket, washed only in spring water and grown using the Nature Friendly Farming standard.

And what’s more, Steve actually turns out to be Dr Rothwell, who has 25 years’ experience as a grower with Vitacress.

While the weather is giving salads, strawberries, asparagus and Jersey Royal sales a boost based on the amount of shelf space devoted to them, there are also signs that European stonefruit is beginning to build with the first signs of peaches and nectarines from Spain.

Meanwhile at Marks & Spencer, the US and New Zealand have been filling the gap for apricots, moving year-round availability nearer.

Descriptions when it comes to plums can be confusing. While selecting “the world’s very best” red varieties, in this case from South Africa, M&S’s “red plums” were identified only as variety RO15 at £2.99 for six. But beware - the skin turns black.

As the calendar changes, I have always felt that the seasonal aspect of produce could be better marketed beyond sticking on a label throughout the harvesting period. At least Sainsbury’s has made sure that customers get the message with nets of New Zealand kiwifruit at £1.49.

It would be interesting to know how sales of garlic - once derided by the great British public - have soared over the years. Certainly, the taste has brought out a relative newcomer at a price, with Tesco selling individual green garlic bulbs for £1. The crop in question is grown Egypt.

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