Courgette shortage hits British supermarkets

Shoppers have been hit by shortage of courgettes as rocketing demand from January dieters, combined with bad weather in European countries, has affected supply.

Chefs such as Bake Off star Flora Sneddon, who created this dish, have been credited with increasing demand for vegetables like courgettes.

Rain in Spain, combined with cold conditions in countries such as Italy and Turkey, has affected this year's crop, while people keen to cut down on carbs and replace foods such as spaghetti with "courghetti", has seen demand spiral.

Many supermarkets and local shops have run out of the vegetable, popular with the "clean eating" movement. Meanwhile, the price of courgettes and aubergines have risen by more than 1 Euro per kilo in the past three days at Spanish auctions, according to trade media in the country.

Users of social network Reddit revealed their struggles to find the green vegetables.

JimBob50 wrote: "Haven't been able to find any in my local shops since Xmas. Found some in a Tesco superstore a but further afield. Really annoying as it is the only green vegetable I can eat."

Other courgette fans spoke of actions they had taken to ensure their supply of the vegetables.

Dancing Harp said: "For future proofing I bought a huge amount in November when they were on offer, spiralled and froze a big batch because the price on courgette always goes up December through March."

A spokeswoman for Tesco said: “Due to bad weather conditions in Spain, we are experiencing a few availability issues, but are working with our suppliers to resolve them as quickly as possible."

Sainsbury's has run out of all types of courgette on its website, except "courgette lasagne slices".

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “There has been severe weather in Southern Europe but we are working with our suppliers to maintain supply for our customers.”