Just one of the many charming things about Trago Mills (the store that sells almost everything you can think of) is the fact that much of the wild-life walk, flap or waddle at liberty amongst the shoppers and diners outside (not inside the buildings, naturally).

Now I know for certain that peacocks love pasties, pies, sausage-rolls, any pastry, chips, Danish pastries, gingerbread men, Chelsea buns and cream doughnuts – they usually hang about the tables situated near the take-away food shops – but I was hitherto unaware, until yesterday, that they are absolutely crazy about cauliflowers. Perhaps it is because all the former foods are commonplace and freely given by the often already tubby shoppers whilst the latter are forbidden fruit, guarded as they are by watchful greengrocers.

As you can see from the photographs below, I was fascinated to see the antics of the peacock that shunned fattening foods in preference for the healthy diet option. Sadly, I didn’t get the shot of the greengrocer throwing a basin of water over the peacock.

“Why don’t you let him have some of the greenery?” I asked.

“Then they’ll all want some,” the greengrocer replied and went back to his counter.

As I was at a greengrocer’s I would have liked to have responded with, “Is it a case of sour grapes?” but I didn’t because the meaning of “sour grapes” didn’t fit the circumstances – the grocer has cauliflowers coming out of his ears! And anyway, I didn’t want to incur any wrath because I, like the peacock, yearned for one of those nice tempting cauliflowers.

Before returning with my cauliflower to the car I glanced over at the wily wet peacock who had strutted off in disgust after his shower; seeing that the coast was clear, he had turned around and was sauntering back as nonchalantly as possible, for one who craves with a passion.

And we’ve just had a delicious cauliflower cheese for dinner…