Pineapples,

we take them for granted now,

but when first introduced to Great Britain they were so rare that they could be hired by the day, to impress your dinner guest! The pineapple has always been associated with prestige and luxury due its exotic appearance, it first appeared in Britain in 1668, by the Georgian era, the first pineapples were being cultivated in Britain. The efforts it took to produce meant that by the time a fruit bloomed, it was valued at £60 (roughly £5,000). Concerned that eating such high-value fruit was a waste, owners opted to display pineapples as dinnertime ornaments, passing them from party to party until they rotted, such was their symbolic worth that maids who transported them were deemed at great risk of being accosted by thieves. In 1807, there were several court cases for pineapple theft at the Old Bailey, the most notorious being that of Mr Godding, who was sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia for stealing seven pineapples, just a few days ago I bought a pineapple at Sainsbury’s, for just £1.00, imagine it had travelled half way round the world giving a profit to the grower, whoever took it to the docks where it was grown, the shipping company, the UK importer and Sainsburys, all making a profit out of just £1.00 amazing!