Rocket, romaine and tatsoi are all variations that we've grown used to seeing in our bagged salads, but now there is a new ingredient shooting up.

Pea shoots are, unsurprisingly, the shoots of pea seeds and are grown locally at Mullens Farm near Pewsey.

Farmer Simon Hues explains how he cultivates the pea shoots. He said: "The growing season is from March until October. We plant a dried garden pea as the seed, which would eventually turn into a fully-grown pod of peas.

"Pea shoots have a higher seed rate per area and we harvest them after only two and a half weeks. Pea shoots are one of seven or eight crops that are grown on our farm - pea shoots grow so quickly there is no need for us to use pesticides. We have been trailing more than 50 varieties over the last two to three years to find the variation that tastes the best, is the sweetest and grows well."

The pea shoots are washed in spring water and used in bagged salads sold in supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and M&S. The healthy green leaf contains seven times more vitamin C than blueberries and four times more vitamin A than tomatoes.

Packed with vitamins A, C and folic acid, pea shoots are a delicious, nutritious modern slant on the classic British garden pea. Until recently pea shoots were a well kept secret among chefs and foodies but this season they will become a healthy addition to supermarket produce shelves across the country.

Lyndel Costain, B.Sc.RD, award-winning dietitian and author of Super Nutrients Handbook, said: "Pea shoots are a nutritious leaf with high levels of vitamin C and vitamin A. A 50g bag of these tasty greens offers more than half of the RDA for vitamin C, a quarter of the RDA for vitamin A and significant amounts of folic acid. It's great news this healthy and simple to prepare British vegetable leaf is readily available."