WE'VE all heard of giant marrows and prickly pears - now prepare yourself for the purple cauliflower.

It may look like nature's greatest mistake, but it is already gracing the plates of households in County Durham.

Sold for the same price as your normal cauliflower by Bookless fruit and veg stall in the Derwent Centre, Consett, the purple version has been specially bred for its colour.

Stall manager Sylvia Pegram said she believed their suppliers created it by injecting the buds with the red pigment found in red grapes. And they've been selling like hot cakes since they received the first batch last Friday.

She said: "We've already sold two trays of them, but a lot of that could be down to the curiosity factor.

"Apparently they have to be steamed or cooked in the microwave because boiling them makes the colour run."