Tales of modern farming published in the Guardian. from the new book Not on the Label by Felicity Lawrance.

Bagged salads did not exist before 1992. Now, two-thirds of households buy them regularly. The value of the UK salad vegetable market had, in fact, grown by 90% between 1992 and 2002.

'I had the buyer round and he said my pressures were out,' says John Dickson. 'He admitted my Coxes were the best he'd tasted, but they weren't hard enough for his shelf life.

I can see an enormous supermarket from my fields. I asked if I could supply it direct with plums that were ripe, in peak condition. It can't be done.'

CATEGORY: AGRICULTURE AND FOOD