What’s black and white… and used to be red all over? World’s first tomato plant that grows fruits of either colour is created

A British horticulturalist has created the world’s first black and white tomato plant by blending two rare strains together.

Tomato experts at Sutton Seeds have a history for pioneering plants, having previously created the first ever black strain which they named Indigo Rose.

For their latest creation, the green-fingered gardeners blended Indigo Rose with a white-cherry tomato type to produce the ground-breaking black and white plant.

While the black tomatoes have a more savoury taste, the white ones pack a sweet and fruity punch, the growers say. 

A spokesman for Sutton Seeds, which is based in Paignton, Devon, said: ‘This year we have upped the ante by grafting Indigo Rose to a creamy-white cherry variety to produce the first black and white tomato plant.

‘We promise amazement from your friends, neighbours and family, not to mention rather groovy salads and sandwiches.’

The hybrid plants are best planted in May for a July to October harvest and cost £12.99 for three.

Indigo Rose was originally created earlier this year by mixing red and purple tomato strains and is heralded as a ‘superfood’.

The American-bred purple tomatoes contained anthocyanin, an antioxidant said to help fight diabetes and obesity.

Speaking of the black tomatoes, Alfie Jackson, assistant product manager at Suttons Seeds, said: ‘They are not as sweet as normal tomatoes and have a more savoury flavour, and are nice roasted or eaten in salads.

‘There are some dark coloured tomatoes but Indigo Rose is the only real black tomato and is the darkest that has ever been bred.

‘During the growth process it starts out green like all tomatoes and when the sun hits the fruit it turns black rather than red.’