Peak papaya as UK gets a taste for the exotic

PAPAYA has become the most in-demand fruit in the UK, supermarkets say, with sales rocketing by nearly 160% in just a year.

- Jon Coates

Other exotic fruit such as kiwis, mangos, passion fruit, persimmon, dates and coconut have proven popular with consumers keen to recreate meals from far-flung holidays.

But the current craze for papaya, inset - an orange, melon-like fruit which is mainly grown in tropical climates within South America - outstrips them all.