Whilst shopping around in Marks & Spencer for my Sunday groceries, walking along my favourite fruit aisle and smelling the sweet flavours of new season's strawberries, this strange box of fruit caught my eye....
BABY KIWI.
They are about the size of a big queen olive. The dark grass-green colour does resemble a typical kiwi fruit, but strangely enough the signature coat of brown furry skin is no where to be seen.
I am always curious about the different varieties of exotic fruits going onto the shelf in UK's supermarkets (last year, the highlight for me was the pineberries by Waitrose). Baby kiwi was introduced into M&S late last year, and splashing out £3.15 for a box of baby kiwi to satisfy my curiosity is going to be worth every single penny (though still not too keen on its heavy carbon footprint generated having directly flown in from New Zealand).
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| Baby Kiwi - from Marks & Spencer |
So, what actually is baby kiwi? According to Wikipedia, baby kiwi's official name is Actinidia arguta or hardy kiwi. They are close relatives of normal kiwifruits that we are used to seeing on the market. They can be eaten whole and does not need to be peeled (perfect for those lazy ones who need a boost of vitamin goodness).
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| Kiwifruit and baby kiwis |
From the outside, the apparent differences of the two - much smaller in size for the baby kiwis, with a green leathery skin (hence the benefit of not having to end up with those brown furry fluff getting everywhere on my kitchen top).
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| Dissection of a kiwifruit and baby kiwi |
Verdict: though I much love the taste of baby kiwis, the eye-watering price tag for the little pot does put them into my "one off purchase" list (for the equivalent cost I could have bought 6 normal kiwifruits). However, it's worth having a try - high in vitamin C and potassium, it can only do me more good than harm.
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