Waitrose, the upmarket food supermarket owned by the John Lewis partnership, is extending its already impressive choice of fruit and vegetables with the introduction of giant olives and berry-sized kiwis.

The retailer, which was recently voted the nation’s favourite shop, has already introduced the kiwi berries and is set to launch the Bella di Cerignola giant olives in May.

The kiwi berry is small, green and looks very much like the inside of a real kiwi, but with a difference – it has an edible, smooth skin.

Fruit Buyer, Rupert Thomas said: “We spend a great deal of time working with our suppliers to provide our customers with a wide variety of produce that will surprise and delight. We are particularly pleased to have been able to source this unusual berry, giving our shoppers the chance to sample this nutritious and delicious fruit.”

The Bella di Cerignola giant olives weigh up to three times as much as normal olives and are set to be the latest trend in canapés according to Waitrose delicatessen buyer David Stone. He said: “We are delighted we have been able to revive this 15th century classic, giving our shoppers the first opportunity to savour the giant olive."

Both new additions are available exclusively at Waitrose, which was recently rated the UK’s favourite retailer – and was the only grocery retailer to make the top five – a survey by retail analyst Verdict showed.

The Consumer Satisfaction Index 2007, complied from responses by 6,000 shoppers, rated Waitrose top in terms of quality, ambience and layout.

The retailer also scored highly on customer service.

The report concluded that, in a grocery market where scale and expansion into non-food offers are seen as all-important, Waitrose has succeeded by focusing on quality and offering shoppers something different.

Branches of Waitrose in the North East can be found in Durham and in Hexham.

Relevant links

Waitrose

More food articles and news

Register for North East news