FORGOTTEN FRUITS

Christopher Stocks Random House, £16.99)

This is a captivating social history, which explores the stories behind the fruits and vegetables we take for granted, enabling the reader to discover more about the way rural life in the UK has evolved during the past centuries.

A keen allotment holder and gardening writer, Christopher Stocks has unearthed a delightful collection of facts and stories about the traditional varieties of fruit and vegetables seldom found in supermarkets.

Did you know, for example, that brussels sprouts were once considered a gentleman's vegetable and originally developed by Lord North's head gardener, who ran the kitchen gardens of Wroxton Abbey, near Banbury?

He made his name with the first so-called dwarf varieties which grew to be more than a metre high.

One of Oxfordshire's most famous apples, the Blenheim Orange, is described in full, with the story of its discovery in George Kempster's garden just outside the walls of Blenheim Palace.

Although this sweet, nutty apple was initially named after Kempster, it was renamed in honour of the Duke in 1804.

Other fascinating facts detailed in this book include alderman peas, which remain delicious and sweet even when they reach the size of marbles, and radishes, which were the size of small turnips when they first arrived in England during the mid 16th century.

This very informative book enables gardeners to grow a little bit of history in their gardens and allotments.