More and more volume fruit packs including avocados, cherries and strawberries are arriving on the retail shelf.

Initial credit for the idea must go to the UK apple industry a decade ago, with gift trays of Cox at Christmas.

So far, the trays give every indication of being repacked from their original import boxes into these specially designed cartons in the UK. However, there are now also examples that are arriving in their original packaging.

Morrisons is offering Pakistani mangoes, which could have come from a UK wholesale market. Grown under the SMA brand, the variety is Chaunsa, also described on the lid as a Honey mango.

There has long been a range of melons to cater for different tastes, colours and even sizes. But this has not stopped Marks & Spencer from introducing a variety into its Discovery range with a ‘refreshing tropical taste’. Called Angello and priced at £1.99, it is grown in Spain and has a netted skin.

Mushrooms have always been surrounded by mystery. One old wives’ tale, for obvious reasons, was that when picking the wild varieties the best grew where there had been a horse in the field!

This rustic term ‘horse mushrooms’ has now arrived at Morrisons with a cultivated crop supplied from the Netherlands. Part of its exotic range at £1.70 for 100g, they are apparently “slightly earthy and more meaty and an excellent alternative to the classic white variety”.

Defining the source can occasionally be confusing where there is a close association with a country. One such example is at Asda in its growing herb range, where a pot of Greek Basil at 76p is actually sourced in the UK. But there’s no mistaking that Golden Plum tomatoes come from the Isle of Wight, seen in a local farm shop that has turned their origin into a brand. -

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