Endangered vegetables

Before you pile your supermarket trolley high with imported veggies spare a thought for some of homegrown UK varieties now facing extinction

Before you pile your supermarket trolley high with imported veggies spare a thought for some of homegrown UK varieties now facing extinction

Known as 'heirloom vegetables', these old-fashioned varieties once lined allotments but are now are dying breeds. So save your favourite veggies and get growing!

Seeds of Change's Dig Your Dinner campaign encourages the nation to grow their own dinner and to help preserve tasty, endangered British vegetables.
My Girl tomato

This medium to large, plum-shaped tomato is thin-skinned and very sweet in taste, but is now nearing extinction.
Rousham Park Hero onion

This flat and yellow-skinned onion originated around the end of the 19th century at Rousham Park, Oxfordshire and was once an exhibition favourite.
Mrs Fortune's climbing French bean

This prolific plant grows to six feet and is has pale blue flowers. The tender pods develop into a dark blue and the seeds are white with maroon mottling when ripe.

This variety originated from a retired gardener who tended the Royal family's garden at Windsor.
Kenilworth tomato

This classic round, red sumptuous tomato has a sweet and herby flavour. Its last commercial grower stocked shops in Kenilworth up until the 1960's.
Blue Coco climbing French bean

With its violet pods, purple-tinged leaves and lilac flowers, this bean has a rich, meaty flavour and is delicious steamed, eaten raw or in stews.
Gravedigger pea

These sweet peas are delicious when cooked. The variety originated from a gravedigger living at Kidlington, near Oxford - hence the name!
Ryder's Midday Sun tomato

This plump, yellow tomato was discontinued when its seed company was sold in the 1970's.
King of the Ridge cucumber

These sweet and juicy cucumbers grow to ten inches long. Skin them for salads, or put them in chutney or stir-fries, after removing seeds. The seeds date back to the 1930s.
Jeyes pea

These sweet peas taste delicious fresh and also freeze well. This variety is believed to have originated in the Luton area about 60 years ago.
Brighstone Dwarf French bean

This mauve, sweet bean has lots of history. The bean seed came from a shipwreck on the Isle of Wight village of Brighstone. Gardeners there have grown this old variety on allotments for years.