Ever since I heard of the traditional Onion Johnnies who pedalled along our south coast every autumn, I have had a regard for Breton vegetable growers - particularly when they were competing on our market which is 80 per cent self-sufficient not just in root crops, but brassicas.

Today, those bikes for all I know may be nothing more than a rusting monument to direct distribution of a bygone age somewhere between St Pol de Leon and Roscoff.

For in the 1970s, their place was taken by Brittany Prince (later to be known in the UK by its French name Prince de Bretagne) which with the help of a government-funded ferry service shipped cauliflower, iceberg lettuce and their pride and joy, the giant Camus artichoke, to the UK.

While the regional brand became famous on the wholesale markets, the traders themselves did not catch on to promotional opportunities despite Brittany Prince handing out free samples to visiting UK tourists as part of an educational programme.

Today, Prince de Bretagne (PdB) is well established across Europe, and last week its growers, with the help of Sopexa, showed they have lost none of their imagination.

In a fashionable watering hole near London's Piccadilly, their latest target, the London hotel and restaurant trade, gathered to celebrate Apéritif à la française. It is a joint promotion, which as the name implies, is designed to boost consumption of alcohol and one could suppose vegetarianism.

At first glance one might wonder what Breton growers have found in common with such an initiative. The answer, according to BdP product managers Pierre Gélébart (new potatoes, onions and shallots) and Gwénaëlle Roignant (organics and artichokes) is to begin to develop a whole new concept in snacking with a drink before getting down to the real menu.

The fact that Brittany's 2,500 growers export over 25 different vegetables, and the region is the largest tomato producer in France, points to the fact that there is still plenty of choice and no shortage of supply.

One criteria for the promotional decision may be that the French have discovered that the British have new eating habits.

If the giant Camus is still on the sidelines when it comes to popularity, there is hope for the Petite Violette variety as a roasted vegetable. Raw calabrese florets are an easy-to-prepare healthy snack, alongside stuffed baby new potatoes.

The event is also world-wide, for at the same time as chefs were congratulated and awarded for their expertise, celebrations were not only taking place throughout the UK but are also planned in 16 other major cities as diverse as Beijing and Warsaw.

It might take time to catch on in the UK, but those Onion Johnnies would have been proud.

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