As Australian food prices rise, ‘robust’ cauliflower and cabbage are April’s best value fruit and veg

Rising costs of fuel and fertiliser will soon affect fresh food aisles but brassica, root vegetables, apples and pears still provide bang for buck As roast and soup season starts, it is “a good time for brassicas”, says Graham Gee, senior buyer at the Happy Apple in Melbourne – “cauliflower and broccoli”. “You get a good supply of cabbage, kale, silverbeet and leeks too. All the robust veggies.” While they might not be ultra cheap, he says “a whole cauliflower can go a long way. You can feed a lot of people with them.” Rising costs of fuel and imported fertiliser have affected prices across the board, says Gee – echoed by Michael Hsu, operational manager at Sydney’s Panetta Mercato, and Salvatore Galati, owner of Galati & Sons in Fremantle. All three grocers say price increases may not be noticeable in store yet, but “expect to see a few little increases” over time, Gee says. Cauliflower is $4 to $5 a head this month at the Happy Apple. They’re between $5 and $5.50 in supermarkets and Galati & Sons sells them for just $3.50 each. Roast a whole cauliflower with spices, lentils and chorizo, using Georgina Hayden’s recipe (pictured above), or rice florets