We are all looking for the next blockbuster after calabrese' Traditional English vegetables are being given a new look by Marks and Spencer through its Discoveries range. Purple cauliflower and bright green Romanesque with an almost crystalline shaped curd are both being grown in increasing quantities in Lincolnshire and are currently on sale at 99p per pack. Emmett Lunny, vegetable technologist, said the initial results have been very promising. "Purple cauliflower variety Graffiti is particularly interesting as it develops its intense colour in the sunlight and contains far more antioxidants. Romanesque, commonplace in Italy, tends to grow on the small side but we have been able to develop larger varieties." Both are also being used in a mixed florette pack alongside a traditional white curd. The next stage, says Lunny, is to establish year round continuity by growing crops in Spain during the winter months. This September will also see the arrival of red broccoli being grown in Lancashire, and Alverdi, a bright green traditionally shaped cauliflower. Lunny says M&S research has shown the customers want more variety in their vegetables. "We are all looking for the next blockbuster after calabrese to change eating habits," he confides. Other lines sold over the summer have been baby broad beans, sold both loose and punneted, with brighter and fresher looking pods and a proportionately higher seed fill. The Listra variety already used extensively in the processing industry is grown from Kent up into Scotland providing continuity between May and September. Fresh petit pois has been added to the range and this autumn baby yellow courgettes will arrive. Sweetcorn will also get a facelift. Lunny is enthusiastic about a programme on the Isle of Wight, although the variety originated in Florida. Known colloquially as "silver and gold", the cobs, which have an exceptionally high sugar, content are bicoloured. {{FRESH PRODUCE }}

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