Waitrose has started selling samphire, sourced from Carmel Agrexco in Israel, as it looks to take the niche product mainstream.

The product, which is being stocked by a major UK retailer for the first time, goes well with fish and went into the fresh fish counters in 216 stores last week (rsp: £1.99 for 90g).

Also known as ‘sea asparagus’, samphire has gained in popularity as more celebrity chefs and high-end foodservice outlets use it in dishes. It has a salty, nutty flavour like asparagus.