A Romanesco cauliflower marketed as an ‘edible Christmas tree’ is proving a big hit at Waitrose as shoppers look for a unique centrepiece vegetable dish for the festive season.
The high-end UK grocer is tapping into the trend for brassicas, in particular cauliflower, and predicts its mini edible Christmas tree will be a stand-out vegetable this yuletide and help persuade more children to eat their greens.
Sold for £3.49 for 300g, the Romanesco cauliflower comes with pomegranate seeds to use as decorations and a star anise for the top.
“Cauliflower has shaken off its old fashioned image and is currently the veg du jour,” Waitrose head of fresh produce buying Nicola Waller tells PBUK.
“For Christmas this year, cauliflower will be taking centre stage on the dinner table. Looking like an edible Christmas tree, our new Romanesco cauliflower tree kit may just tempt kids to eat their greens.”
The Romanesco cauliflowers were grown by Lincolnshire-based producer and long-term Waitrose supplier, Terry White.
“They really give people something different to cook at Christmas, they taste great and look good on the dinner table as a centrepiece,” he tells PBUK.
“We have harvested the Romanesco’s for Waitrose this year and they are doing very well because people want something different and cauliflower is making a bit of a comeback.”
Last week Waitrose also launched its first-ever cauliflower mash as an alternative to potato and initial sales have been strong, while sales of Waitrose quick cook sweet sprouting cauliflower, similar to long stemmed broccoli but white, are up 164 percent.
“We’ve added a cauliflower and kale couscous to our shelves too and we are also introducing more cauliflower dishes to meet demand,” adds Waller.
