Fat, glossy purple aubergines are something to really boast about when you grow them yourself. You’ll need a greenhouse, as they don’t fruit reliably outside in the UK apart from in the warmest summers, but otherwise they’re surprisingly straightforward.
Sow from seed in a heated propagator, or take a short cut and pop into the garden centre for a ready-grown young plant to pop straight into the greenhouse border (they also grow well in roomy containers or grow bags). Keep them well watered, feed weekly with liquid tomato feed once flowers appear, and you can look forward to homegrown luxuries like moussaka, ratatouille and Sicilian caponata by late summer.