The Co-operative Group will begin selling broccoli grown on its own farm for the first time this summer.

The broccoli, grown in Cambridgeshire, will be added to the group's "Grown By Us" range in its East Anglian stores from mid-June to October.

The 300 stores supplied under the initiative will only stock the home-grown broccoli, with the retail price remaining the same as for other broccoli.

If the line was successful the group may extend the area of supply next year, a spokeswoman said.

"The Co-operative Farms already supplies our stores with produce such as peas, onions and potatoes, so we are pleased that broccoli has now been added to the range," said category buyer Sean Deakins.

The Co-operative has been placing increased emphasis on home-sourced produce this year.

Earlier this month it announced an ambitious plan to make its own apple juice, having bought 1,000 apple saplings from the Brogdale facility.

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