It seems as long ago as the Stone Age when independent greengrocers used to sell potatoes - with the exception of Jersey Royal - ticketed simply as “Reds”, “Whites” or “King Edwards”.
Happily, things improved greatly thanks to constant nudging by the then Potato Marketing Board to identify different cooking attributes and so shoppers at last knew what to buy.
Now it seems the trend amongst supermarkets is to highlight some even older favourites classified as specialities.
Waitrose continues to punch above its weight with an additional vintage range which includes Shetland Black, Forty Fold, which was discovered in 1836, Highland Burgundy Red and the novelty Salad Blue. And the chain is adding a touch of easy-to-read history on the packs, as can be seen with Arran Victory.
Sainsbury’s is similarly featuring Red King Edwards as well as Golden Wonder and Arran Victory under its Heritage brand, and I am sure we will see even more on the counters in the future.
Just as potatoes can be difficult to identify, the same can be said for onions, beyond their skin colour of brown, red or white. Tesco’s turn this time to turn back the clock - the retailer is offering French variety Rose de Roscoff, prominently labelled and priced at £1.99.
The pale pink onion originated in Portugal and began to arrive in the UK in 1827. But the product became better known through the slightly more modern day version of grower/exporter/distributor the Breton Onion Johnnies who toured the south of England on their bikes selling bulbs on traditional strings.
Sprouts also seem to be entering this harking-back-to-the-past category, based on the popularity among many multiples for shrink-wrapping complete stems. This line usually only makes an appearance as Christmas approaches, but it is already in store. The comparison is interesting: in a retail arena where convenience is king, trimmed and peeled packs of the same product rub shoulders on the same shelf as the huge leafy stems.
At the other end of this scale, one of the expanding retail lines is fresh-cut fruit salad. One of the latest variations on the theme from Tesco is priced at £2.99 for 400g, and features pineapple, mango and melon fruit fingers. Certainly a way to add value.
Meanwhile, the range of prepared vegetables and salads that is being used to create microwaveable meals continues to expand on an almost daily basis with the addition of an ever widening array of ready-made dressings and sauces.
Sainsbury’s has lifted the status of Savoy cabbage by adding a bacon butter, while Tenderstem broccoli has entered the retailer’s own-brand stir-fry range mixed with baby spinach and cabbage.
Interestingly, Tenderstem which is a registered trademark, is also described on the pack as oriental broccoli.
And back on the fruit front, citrus is again becoming the big seller, although I wonder how many customers know the difference between satsumas, clementines, mandarins and tangerines?
Having listened to shoppers make their choice this week it is definitely an area where there is still confusion.
David Shapley
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