Colour is the spice of life on the retail shelf, and you usually get what you see. However, I was rather surprised to note Angelino plums in Marks & Spencer, at £1.99, described as “red”, when the skin is a deep, dark, bluish black.

No such confusion, however, with the retailer’s new speciality grapes from the US called Sweet Scarlet, at £2.99 for 500g. Although apparently specially selected, there is limited availability on this line.

And to stick with the theme of colour, golden raspberries seem to be gaining a foothold; in this case, a Driscoll variety called Estrella in M&S’s Limited Edition range, at £2.99 for 170g, which is now sitting alongside the more traditional red Maravilla cultivar.

Meanwhile, a transformation seems to be taking pace on the traditional brassica front, with kale being rediscovered by the public. There has even been some editorial supporting the vegetable in the consumer press, although whether retail interest has merely been stimulated by the shortage of green vegetables after the atrocious summer weather is a distinct possibility.

Once regarded as one of the humblest crops, even fed to cattle in the past, 200g of organic curly kale is now available at Tesco for £1.29, plus a conventional new baby leaf pack at 99p for 120g. Meanwhile, Cavolo Nero, which is a near relation, has been smartly presented in a 160g bag, costing £1.29 and carrying the identity of Alan Bell, farm manager for Emmett UK.

In fact, the eminent arrival of winter veg in general is being promoted in other retailers too. Sainsbury’s is working with a consortium of its suppliers to provide an organic seasonal selection for £4.99. The offer is presented in a rustic-looking kraft bag with a stitched carrying handle, in a nod to the popular organic box schemes.

The contents are 500g of swedes grown in Perth, a similar weight of Norfolk carrots, Cambridgeshire-sourced parsnips and 450g of Lincolnshire red cabbage, alongside 1kg of Milva potatoes from Shropshire.

Talking of potatoes, there was a time when greengrocers’ descriptions only extended to “reds” and “whites”. Perhaps, if we could turn the clock back, they also included “blues” and “blacks”, which are widening the selection at Waitrose, with two ancient varieties which have now been saved from extinction. Encouragingly, there is even a history lesson on the packaging.

It is also worth recording that, although we are virtually self-sufficient in field vegetables at this time of year, there is still room for newcomers. Proof, if it were needed, came from baby courgettes, also in Waitrose, priced at £1.49, from Mozambique, which has recently become a source.

And if I ever felt like giving an award of the week reflecting that the best ideas are the simplest, it would go to the separated double portion of pre-packed crunchy salad in Sainsbury’s, carrying the Eat Me Keep Me message; a new variation on the ripening concept which has been so successful with fruit.

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