One of the more unusual members of the Navel family to arrive at Marks & Spencer is the pigmented seedless Cara Cara, which owes its flesh colour to lycopene rather than the anthocyanins that give blood oranges their distinctive shade.
While M&S has not delved as deep to inform its customers, it does confirm that the fruit, priced at £2.99 for five, was discovered in Venezuela and began to appear commercially in the US around 25 years ago. Since then, it has been taken up around the citrus world and according to the label, is now planted in the best Spanish citrus groves. The only wrinkle I could find, however, is that the fruit in question is sourced from Turkey.
Washington Navel is also appearing at Sainsbury’s in its organic range at £1.99 for four, this time from Italy.
If Cara Cara is an excellent example of additional information, there are times when it is lacking.
Tesco has what is described as a “continental lettuce“ at £1 each, but although it has been selected for its texture and flavour, after that it’s up to the purchaser’s imagination.
In a similar style are slicing tomatoes at M&S, which is offering a dual pack of Spanish “Mediterranean” giants at £1.69. The same shelf is home to Moroccan alternatives at £1.29, without this additional descriptive text.
Tesco has added to its Limited Edition stonefruit range with a new mottled Chilean plum variety with the unusual name of Dapple Dandy, at £2.49 for six.
And as winter begins to give way to spring, it’s a time when berry fruit and salads compete for shelf space with heavier vegetables and roots.
Morrisons has added a twist to its organic carrot range by packaging both orange and yellow varieties together in a 600g pack for £1.
Fresh herbs now play a part when stews and roasts come to mind, with Sainsbury’s turning to a lesser known source for its rosemary at 79p for 20g - namely France.
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