Oranges are not the only fruit . . .

But many of us are no longer content to sample cuisine from other cultures simply in restaurants we want to try cooking it at home, too.

With this week's news that fruit previously declared "ugly" because it does not look the perfect shape or colour can now be sold at reduced prices, there is no excuse for not getting your five portions a day.

Buying exotic fruit and vegetables is simple and can be achieved much closer to home than you might think.

Although most supermarkets sell some unusual varieties, for a real taste of the exotic the best place to visit is Bolton Market.

Bolton's market town history dates back as far as 1251, when it first obtained its Royal Charter to hold a market once a week.

Ashburner Street market first opened in 1932, when carrots and potatoes were the preferred choice of shoppers.

These days you can pick up a wide range of fruit and vegetables from different countries even different continents and it is almost as likely to be a durian fruit or a karila being popped into a brown paper bag.

The traders say they are offering a more personal service than the supermarkets, with excellent quality, fresh fruit and vegetables at reasonable prices.

Greengrocer John Bates, aged 59, runs the Bates Brothers stall in the market.

He has been a market trader in Bolton for 30 years, and said he is now as busy as ever.

"There are fewer fruit and vegetable stalls than there used to be, but we are still getting plenty of people coming to the market," he said.

His customers have developed a keen interest in more unusual varieties of fruit and vegetables, and John indulges their interest by buying as many different types of produce as he can.

Although they are still keen to snap up the more traditional varieties, including strawberries, apples and new potatoes, his stock of exotic vegetables and fruit is attracting increasing numbers of shoppers.

Here are just a few of the varieties he regularly stocks: l Durian fruit is, perhaps, the most unusual of all. Native to South-east Asia, it is the most prized fruit of all in Malaysia. It has an almost overpowering aroma and a thick green outer casing covered in spikes. It can be made into sweets or cake or served cooked in coconut milk.

l Pak choi is another favourite buy on John's stall. It is a southern Chinese vegetable which has been eaten since the fifth century. It can be boiled, steamed or stir-fried. It has broad green leaves which taper to white stalks and are crisp and crunchy to eat.

l Galangal is a spice which is native to China and is part of the ginger family.

l White aubergines are more palatable raw than other aubergines, and are popular eaten uncooked with chilli paste.

l Sucking mangoes are a small variety of the popular fruit.

l Karela, an Indian vegetable, is recommended for diabetics as it is thought to lower blood sugar levels. The skin has to be shaved off, then the vegetable is soaked in salt to remove its natural bitterness.

Fellow trader Abid Hussain, who runs Zen Fruit and Vegetables, buys fresh fruit and vegetables every day and enjoys looking for new and different varieties to tempt his customers.

He said he enjoyed chatting with his customers, and meets people speaking a wide range of languages.

"I get Russians, Jamaicans and Iranians visiting my stall," he said. "It is very interesting to see so many different nationalities living in Bolton and enjoying buying produce at the market. It is great that we are able to cater for people wanting different fruit and vegetables."

He sells, among many other things: *Plantains, which are an African fruit, shaped like a banana but larger, and can be deep fried with chilli and spices.

*Mooli a long white Japanese vegetable of the radish family.

*Cassava a staple crop in rural Africa, Asia and South America with roots similar to potatoes, but with twice the fibre content and higher levels of potassium.

*Green jelly nuts, which look like green coconuts.

*Yams, which are grown in Africa, the West Indies and Asia. They are a staple food crop in West Africa. They are extremely versatile and can be boiled, roasted or grilled. Yam slices can be fried and you can even make yam chips.

*Chow chow a delicate green tennis-ball shaped vegetable which can be used in soups, or peeled and sliced like an apple, and has a taste very similar to a courgette.

*Sweet tamarind seed pods which can be snacked on like fruit and have, as the name suggests, a sweet taste. The sour variety simply named tamarind is used as a cooking spice in many Thai dishes.

*Bitter melon, which is a member of the squash family and looks like a cucumber with a bumpy skin. It is used in Asian and Indian cooking and the inside is filled with fibrous seeds. It is great in a stir-fry.