PINEAPPLES — FOUR WEEKS

FOR the healthy eating crowd, pineapples are the new avocados, rich in vitamin C and antioxidants.

According to Tesco, sales of whole pineapples surged by 15 per cent last year, overtaking the avocado for speed of growth.

Demand for pineapple juice is up by more than a fifth and sales of tinned chunks have grown by 5 per cent. Even Hawaiian pizza topped with pineapple is making an unexpected comeback, with sales up 30 per cent.

Pineapples are picked when ripe — they don’t ripen further after harvest — and are fairly perishable. But if stored at temperatures of between 7c and 12c they can be kept for three to four weeks, which allows them to be transported by ship in refrigerated containers.