Despite the big freeze, it seems as if our daily portion of green vegetables has, in general, been getting through to the appointed retailer - although I can personally confirm that any thoughts of keeping to a timetable over the past week have pretty much gone to pot.

And with the attraction of winter vegetables obviously in the consumer’s mind, Marks & Spencer, under its Latest Discovery range, is providing speciality organic carrots. Grown by Steven Jack in Moray, the combination mixed pack is priced at £1.49 for 600g. Heralded as the “very best and tastiest”, for the uninitiated the new and exclusive Creme de Lite carrot is cream-coloured, while traditional orange variety Miami has been “specially selected”.

If such products represent the new frontiers of retailing, my memory cells were stirred in Asda this week - not so much by the citrus on display, but by the fact that some Spanish Navels at 31p each were arriving wrapped. The brand concerned is Filosofo from Aranda SL in Valencia. There was a time - before the supermarkets - when a great proportion of oranges were presented in this way, with tissue paper, welcomed by greengrocers to build up displays in their shop windows. These displays were even recognised as an art form, and I believe there is still a collection housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Another memory tug took place in Waitrose. The French Apple Wars, as they were called in the 1970s, have also been consigned to history, although Golden Delicious from anywhere still tends to occupy a place in the British consumer’s psyche, where the variety is either loved or hated. Back in the 1970s, when the whole of France seemed to be disappearing under new orchards, the specialists always proclaimed that the best fruit came from the Limousin region, with some growers even packing Class Extra. That point is still made, as the on-fruit sticker confirms that the variety from this area has acquired Apellation d’Origine Contrôlée status.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s is already displaying the first signs on the promotion trail with a competition to win a seven-night trip to South Africa to follow the football World Cup. No point in explaining where the grapes in question are being grown, with a 500g mixed pack of Flame and Prime priced at £2.79.

And well before the event hits in retail terms, all signs remind us that Easter is fast approaching!

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