To you and me, they may look like ordinary peppers but don't be fooled. They are credited with claiming more vitamins than any other variety. Called the ACE pepper, they were discovered in Israel (of course) and are now being developed by Marks & Spencer in Waltham Cross, Essex, where they are grown without pesticides.

Apparently eating just one of the peppers contains all the vitamin C needed for a day, and half the recommended amount of vitamins A and E. Dr Simon Coupe, a fresh-produce technologist for M&S, predicts the vegetable will supersede other peppers in the future. He said: "We spend a lot of time and effort roaming the world trying to find new and inventive products." What next from the holy land, home of high-tech? A solar-powered self-peeling satsuma pehaps.