Waitrose launches giant melon-sized avocado

Tue, 11 Oct 2011
 
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Fans of avocados should head to Waitrose after the supermarket announced it is now stocking a giant variety of the soft-fleshed fruit .

The 'Linda' avocado, which comes Peru’s Chincha valley, is the same size as a small melon and weighs 3lb 5oz, making it 10 times as big as the standard variety and as heavy as three rugby balls.

At £4.99 it also offers much better value than Waitrose’s regular avocados which cost 99p.

According to the grocer, the super-sized fruit has a "superb creamy texture with a very intense and slightly nutty avocado flavour" and contains a generous amount of vitamin B6, which helps protect the body’s immune system, and monounsaturated fat, which can help control cholesterol levels.

It is also rich in lutein – a powerful antioxidant which protects arteries from hardening and the eyes from developing cataracts.

The introduction of the Linda (Spanish for beautiful) avocado comes in response to growing demand for the guacamole-producing fruit, and follows the recent launch of onions the size of grapefruits and Sumo pumpkins weighting more than 6 stone.