As Egypt’s political future unfolds along the banks of the Nile, fresh produce in the shape of strawberries and oranges still seem to be arriving in store despite last week’s reports fearing supply shortages.

At least as the world faces its problems, the trade brings it together. Sainsbury’s green vegetable medley at £1.50 for 160g is a case in point, with asparagus, Tenderstem broccoli and sugar snap peas drawn from Peru, Egypt and Jordan.

Moving back to citrus, there are few buyers who would deny that Navel is the supreme dessert orange.

Marks & Spencer points this out on its nets of Spanish five “large” seedless fruit at £2.99 and adds that these are rarely equalled.

Descriptions obviously count, as Tesco is stocking the same variety from the same source at £2.19 for four, labelling them as “giant”.

For the purist, M&S fruit size is 90-95 mm, while its rival is 87-92mm.

Good news for Brussels sprout growers must surely be that buttons still attached to the stalk obviously have customer appeal beyond the traditional festive period.

Still regularly appearing among the brassicas, Asda has taken the range further with a red variety, priced at £1, although the pack does not feature the weight.

The green variety is also arriving in a different, exclusive guise at M&S as flower sprouts, which make up part of its Latest Discovery range. Grown in Scotland, they are derived from a cross with kale, which creates the colour of the latter and a “posy” shape growing out the plant’s bud.

Guaranteed freshness on prepared salad is certainly an eye catcher, and Waitrose makes no bones about it with the Lasting Lettuce message emblazoned on the 250g pack of mixed leaves at £1.30.

The contents from Natures Way Foods is a mix of iceberg lettuce, Romaine, cabbage and carrot that lasts a minimum of two days longer than standard bagged salads.

Apparently, the secret is to wash it first in warm water and then cold, which slows down browning and pinking on the cut surfaces.

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