Beetroot Chioggia

Slice a Chioggia for the first time and the reaction is involuntary. Concentric pink and white rings, perfectly even, like a cross-section of agate. An Italian heritage variety from the coastal town near Venice, grown there for over 150 years and still grown today for one reason above all others: nothing else looks like it on a plate.

The flavour is genuinely good, sweeter and milder than a red beetroot with a delicate earthiness rather than the deep intensity of Boltardy. But the eating quality is a bonus. People grow Chioggia for the look.

One thing to know before you sow it: the rings fade when cooked. Boil or roast it and the pattern blurs to a uniform rose. To keep the stripes, eat it raw — shaved thin on a mandoline, sliced into salads, or grated into a slaw. It is also a shade less bolt-resistant than Boltardy, so hold the earliest sowings back until the soil is thoroughly warm.