Meaty and slightly piquant, aubergines are so versatile and appealing it's no surprise that they are one of the most renowned vegetables in the world, featured in every country's cuisine. They can be stuffed, fried, stewed, baked and combined with all sorts of ingredients to create unique dishes. These Italian aubergines are so flavoursome you will taste the difference from the supermarket variety straight away.

There are many varieties of aubergine according to the area they're grown. The white variety gives the American name for aubergine, 'eggplant'. Green or red types are grown in Asia and India. Long, thin cultivars are found in China. The most common variety in Europe is the deep purple, elongated one, but also the lightly coloured round aubergine, with a slightly less 'spongy' pulp is quite common.

Class I