<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>How trendy is your fridge right now? Well, if it’s filled with mini watermelons, black garlic and sorrel you’ve got your finger on the pulse, according to a new report from Abel & Cole, which has outlined the 10 organic fruits and vegetables which have seen the biggest increase in sales this year.
The UK’s Most Popular Fruits And Vegetables Of 2024
Mini Watermelons
Watermelon has been trending for months now, with TikTok discovering all sorts of fun new ways to use the hydrating fruit – from grilling it to making a sandwich. However, watermelons are often very big, leading to food waste as people struggle to get through them before they lose their freshness. Mini watermelons, though, are all the rage, according to Abel & Cole, which has reported a 75 percent increase in sales.
Juicing Oranges
Searches for juicing are up almost a quarter on Google, which is likely a result of recent campaigns for upping our fruit and veg intake from figures such as Dr Tim Spector. We’re all particularly loving creating our own orange juice, with sales for oranges designed for juicing up 63 percent.
Dragon Fruit
With its vibrant colour and unique appearance, dragon fruit always looks pretty on a platter. But it’s also packed with health benefits – high in antioxidants, fibre and iron. The aesthetic fruit is having its moment on Instagram right now, which might explain the 45 percent jump in Abel & Cole’s sales figures.
Sorrel
Move over basil, sorrel is the hottest herb right now, with sales up 46 percent this year. Abel & Cole predict big things for the leafy herb, which is renowned for its tart flavour and lemony tang. Get ahead of the game by adding it to your salads, soups and stuffings this season.
Black Garlic
Black garlic is another health hero, containing a higher amount of antioxidants than raw garlic and offering benefits for both the heart and the brain. It’s a buzzy ingredient for chefs at the moment, beloved for its rich, umami flavour and increasingly used in marinades and dressings at trendy restaurants.
Passion fruit
Our national love for the Pornstar Martini – a vodka-based drink made with passion fruit and prosecco – is going nowhere, having been named the UK’s favourite cocktail for five years running now. But that’s not the only use for passion fruit: it’s popping up more and more in things like non-alcoholic drinks and desserts.
Tomatoes
Our national love affair with tomatoes is going nowhere, with Abel & Cole sales up 28 percent. Recently, we’ve become more interested in the wide range of varieties out there, with a particular increase in demand for heirloom tomatoes, and more and more of us attempting to grow our own.
Microgreens
As interest surrounding gut health continues to soar, the microgreen market has grown accordingly. These are young seedlings of edible veggies and herbs, such as beetroot, spinach and broccoli, and despite their small size they have a dense concentration of nutrients which support the health of the gut microbiome.
Mushrooms
The fungi obsession is here to stay, particularly specialty varieties such as oyster, shiitake and lion’s mane – the latter of which saw a 450 percent spike in Google searches after Clarkson’s Farm star Lisa Hogan made her own powder on the hit prime show. These functional mushrooms are famous not only for their white, pom-pom-like appearance, but also their brain and gut health benefits.
British Apples
The climate crisis has encouraged us all to shop local, which has been especially beneficial for the British apple industry. Supermarkets are helping by buying more British apples than they did last last year – and organic farmers have reported an increased interest in the less famous varieties, aside from just your classic Braeburns.
You can find the full report at abelandcole.co.uk