Rare golden skinned watermelons - instead of the usual green - are being launched for the first time ever in Britain.
The melons will be exclusively sold by Tesco in time for Christmas when sales of the fruit traditional soar as it is used a popular starter to the festive feast.
They are a new variety which are being grown for the supermarket in Brazil and taste slightly sweeter than the standard green version but offer the same thirst-quenching juiciness.
Earlier this year melons overtook pineapples as the UK’s fasting growing fruit and as a result Tesco now sells 11 different varieties.
James Cackett, Tesco’s technical manager for melons, said:
“The variety is very old but not commercially grown anymore and I’ve been working with the suppliers in Brazil for the last five years to bring it back as its striking golden skin and vivid, red sweet flesh make it very eye-catching.”
In recent years Tesco has worked closely with its supplier to bring new varieties to the UK for the first time including:
Sweet Snowball – super sweet and distinctive because of its white flesh and very pale green, flecked skin
Sweet Tangy Twist – an orange fleshed melon with a hint of citrus
Finest Sunkiss – a variety of the Honeydew family with pale orange flesh
The new golden watermelon will be on sale in more than 160 Tesco stores across the UK and will cost £3 each.