Take a trip back in time...

Beetroot ‘Burpee’s Golden’ This glorious yellow-fleshed beetroot won’t stain kitchen worktops! Dates back to at least the 1940s. £2.49/140 seeds, Suttons 0844 326 2200; www.suttons.co.uk Broad bean ‘Masterpiece Green Longpod’ Long pods of tasty green beans, over a century old. £2.99/30 seeds, Thompson & Morgan 0844 573 1818; www.thompsonmorgan.com French bean ‘Lazy Housewife’ Prolific climbing bean hailing from Germany in the early 1800s. Eat it green or shell beans for soups and stews. £2.16/70 seeds, Real Seeds 01239 821107; www.realseeds.co.uk Lettuce ‘Tom Thumb’ Much-loved small butterhead dating to the late 1800s. Soft sweet leaves heart up fast. £1.69/380 seeds Organic Gardening Catalogue 0844 967 0330; www. organiccatalogue.com Lettuce ‘Grandpa Admire’s Lettuce’ Bicolour butterhead from the 1800s. Slow to bolt, with good quality leaves even in the heat. £2.10/250 seeds, Real Seeds 01239 821107; www.realseeds.co.uk

Onion ‘Red Brunswick’ Big semi-flat glossy dark red bulbs store well with good gutsy flavour, popular since the 1830s. £1.30/275 seeds, Kings Seeds 01376 570000; www. kingsseeds.com Pea ‘Champion of England’ From the 1840s this tall pea reaches 2-2.5m (8-10ft) with delicious fat pods containing 8-10 peas. £3.50/ 100 seeds, Dobies 0844 967 0303; www.dobies.co.uk Squash ‘Honey Boat’ A trailing squash sold since the 1890s that yields lots of small sweet-fleshed fruit that store very well over time. £3/ 6 seeds, Dobies 0844 967 0303; www.dobies.co.uk Squash ‘Marina Di Chioggia’ From South America, this squash has warty blue-green skin and orange flesh and keeps for six months. 99p/10 seeds, Suttons 0844 326 2200; www.suttons.co.uk Tomato ‘Black Krim’ Red-brown beefsteak from the Isle of Krim on the Black Sea, said to have travelled with soldiers from the Crimean war. £1.15/15 seeds, Nicky’s Nursery 01843 600972; www. nickys-nursery.co.uk