Sales of gourds at Waitrose are up a spooktacular 260% as shoppers look to the unusual vegetable to decorate their homes for Halloween and the autumn season. The unprecedented popularity for gourds this year has meant Waitrose has had to increase its orders of the gnarly veg to keep up with the surge in demand.
Gourds are part of the cucurbit family which includes pumpkins, watermelons, butternut squash and cucumbers. They are mainly bought for their quirky decorative appeal but can also be spiced up and baked or made into soups.
Waitrose Horticultural Buyer, Samantha Brett, says, "It's no longer enough to have a lonely pumpkin on the doorstep. Our customers have been inspired by doorstep displays from the US and want to replicate their seasonal showstopping arrangements. This is not just restricted to the doorstep - shoppers are bringing the outside in and decorating the inside of their homes too with colourful gourds, pumpkins and other seasonal produce – not just for a one day Halloween wonder but for an extended autumnal celebration too."
