Doughnut peaches – the new craze

Just when you think supermarket staples are pretty much established, in sweeps a sensation. Stand aside, large, regular peach, for the doughnut peach (which is also called the donut peach, by people who do not know how to spell). This small peach has a squished shape, hence its name. It is set to be more ubiquitous this summer than stark warnings about what the nice weather means in the context of global warming. One wholesaler said that in 2006, he was supplying three to five cases a week; this year, it's more like 200.

It seems too good to be natural, this fruit. But as they said of the Thai aubergine, just because it's cute doesn't mean it's been genetically modified. This is a bona fide peach species, first grown in China in the 19th century. What is surprising is that they've taken so long to catch on, because they are perfect for almost everybody. Supermarkets love them because they are flat, so you can stack them in a more orderly fashion. Kids love them because they look just like doughnuts and are smaller and more hand-shaped than regular peaches. Adults love them because they have a different, many would say better, flavour, sweeter and with an almond top-note. Adults with OCD love them because the flesh doesn't adhere to the pip in the same way as it does in a regular peach, so you don't finish the eating experience covered in juice, having to lick yourself like a dog.

There's really no loser in this new peach craze: unless, of course, they are found to be so superior that other species are abandoned altogether. This would obviously be detrimental to biodiversity: the green answer is to match each doughnut peach you eat with another peach variety.

Personally, I hate the feeling of fur on my teeth. I'm waiting for someone to genetically modify a doughnut nectarine.