The summer may still be a long time in coming, but the shelves are bursting with English strawberries regardless, with retailers using a variety of ways to tempt customers beyond heavy price cuts.

Examples include fruit packed in mini 1lb trays, or linked to Cornish clotted cream. More sub-brands are also appearing; Sainsbury’s in its Taste the Difference range has British Buddy at £2.50 for 300g grown in Hampshire by New Forest Fruit.

At this time of year salads are also ever expanding. These of course now include the ‘living’ ranges - mainly a mix of types growing profusely together in a punnet, but there are signs that individual varieties are following the same route.

Marks & Spencer has a ‘pick your own’ Red Salanova lettuce packaged more like a bunch of flowers for £1, with the growing medium wrapped into the cellophane wrapper. And Sainsbury’s has come up with Frilly Mustard Leaves at the same price, which has given a boost to wasabi.

Tomatoes continue to arrive in all shapes and sizes, with Asda introducing Lancashire-grown Tomkin on-the-vine as part of its new variety range. At £1.75 for 220g, these are recommended for their aroma as well as their taste.

The DIY sandwich market is another area where there is potential. Tesco, having introduced a tomato punnet, has now turned its attention to watercress. This targeted twin pack (2 x 35g), washed and ready to eat, is priced at £1.25.

On fruit, M&S has a stonefruit variety called Sweet Aroma which, with the help of the store’s section manager and the press office, turned out to be a dark brownish red plum and is part of a series called Plumegranates. -

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