Nice fruit for fussy eaters that doesn't cost the earth

[thecheekofthem]

Can't afford M&S and Waitrose prices so where do you suggest I go?

TIA

Tbh I tend to think fruit is fruit is fruit so no need for posh supermarket. Just sort through to choose ones that look nice. Even go to a proper fruit and veg shop. Unless I haven't understood the question.

Soft fruit like grapes and peaches taste so much nicer in Waitrose than Tesco.

Will try to see what quality and prices are like in a greengrocers

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If you're buying apples, then try to get British ones - they're in season and in the shops for about 9 months of the year, now. Much tastier and less woolly, particularly in Autumn and winter. Sainsburys are particularly good at selling UK produced apples in their cheaper and value ranges.

Similarly, for most fruit, even if it's not normally grown in this country, if you can source something from the Northern hemisphere, it tends to be much nicer eg, if there's a choice between Spanish and South African oranges, or Italian and Peruvian grapes, the ones that have travelled a shorter distance are, on the whole, fresher and tastier. Oranges should be firm and feel heavy. Grapes should be bouncy with stalks that don't look too withered or mouldy.

Why not try Lidl or Aldi for fruit you will be surprised with quality and price

ASDA- apples, bananas, pears, grapes and raspberries all nice. We have also had some very good, and super cheap, Victoria plums from there recently. Prepared fruit such as fresh pineapple and mango also good value. Definitely go for British apples rather than imports.

However for decent peaches and nectarines you really need to splash out and go to M&S or Waitrose.

What? Fruit does not need to be nice for it to be nice.

Go to your local market and see what looks good. Let fruit ripen properly and come to room temperature when you eat it, and it will be infinitely tastier than any cold unripe thing, wherever it was purchased. Or, do same at any greengrocer or supermarket.

Or look around and pick the last of the blackberries of the year - for free!

Thanks all

What about bananas. Is there a way of buying them ripe and them not going brown within 48 hours

Try frozen summer fruits to have with yoghurt/in puddings or tinned apples. tinned peaches are nice too.

I don't think there is a definitive answer re best fruit - I have had lovely aldi raspberries, half the price of tesco and the quality was similar to m and s

Yet I have had M&S pears that weren't very ripe

Watermelon in the summer is nice everywhere I find

OMG small tasty round little automn apples. Om nom nom and yum!

Lidl grapes - the red ones - are great. I regularly get them for work events, and people always comment on them. But avoid the green grapes, they can be bitter! I usually get their kids bananas too, they last quite well.

I just buy bananas weekly. I don't buy them completely green, if I can help it, as they don't always ripen nicely at home, but I only buy them spotty if they're heavily discounted (and they still last most of the week!) I almost always buy fairtrade, though. Again, Sainsburys are good for that.

And agreeing with kids' bananas as far as small bananas are less likely to be mealy and bland than the gigantic ones you sometimes get.

And peaches- go for doughnut peaches. Nice child sized portions and absolutely delicious. They're easy to finish ripening at hime if they're not quite there yet, too. Most market stalls around us had them through the summer.

If you buy strawberries in season, avoid the elsanta variety. Supermarkets are catching onto the fact the this variety, grown for shape, is tasteless, and i did notice more choice, this year. Varieties that are nice are all the Driscoll ones, plus Sonata and Sweet Eve. Triumph are hit and miss and Premier are hard and horrid.

Back to apples, the variety makes a difference, too. Spartan are sharp and crunchy. Coxes are sweet and sharp. Russets are soft and aromatic. Royal Gala are pretty and sweet. Each one has its own character and you might find that your prefer some to others. Old fashioned Golden Delicious and Granny Smiths are pretty bland (and very rarely British!) Jazz and pink Lady are always imported from the other side of the world and ridiculously expensive. I don't even get the fuss over Pink Lady, as they're bland, too.

We have a green grocer nearby. Cheaper than any supermarket, fruit that tastes of FRUIT rather than water. Fab pears, tasty apples, sweet clementines, sultana grapes etc

The fruit in our local Asda is lovely - better than Sainsburys and much cheaper. Their Smart Price apples are currently Cripps Pink - delicious.