All roads lead to Romaine: new lettuce lines land in SPAR

Summer salads are sorted for SPAR customers across the North of England as new lines of Romaine lettuces landed on the shelves this week.

The fresh and tasty whole-head Romaines are grown by Gore Hall Produce at Banks near Southport in a developing partnership with James Hall & Co. Ltd that is now into its fourth year.

Gore Hall already supply James Hall & Co. Ltd with Iceberg lettuces, as well as Little Gem and celery, and a decision was taken to plant more Romaine lettuces this year for their quality and value.

Gore Hall Produce is a seventh-generation family-owned business that have been farming on the same site since the mid-1800s, owning the farm since the 1920s.

The farm specialised into salads in the 1970s and has grown to a site of 450 acres in size, employing 100 staff.

The business, under the current stewardship of brothers Richard and David Cropper, produces lettuces during the British growing season of May to October, and celery from June to November, importing from Spain outside of these months.

Wilf Whittle, Fresh Trading Manager at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “We trialled the Romaine lettuces from Gore Hall last summer in our SPAR stores and they sold well, so we made the decision together with Richard and David to grow more of them this year.

“Shaped like a rugby ball, they really create a good impression with their presence on the shelves in-store. They are a very tasty, flavourful salad that is perfect for summer.

“Not only that, because of their size, they are excellent value at 89p and one Romaine lettuce will certainly provide multiple healthy meals for a family.

Richard Cropper said: “I think the Romaine salad is having a comeback which is fantastic to see after the Iceberg became the go to option for many years. Personally, I think it is a tastier product with a better lifespan.”