A common and popular ingredient has caused a stir as, despite many shoppers holding stong summertime and nostalgic memories of it, it seems to have "disappeared" from supermarket shelves15:05, 19 Jul 2026Shoppers have been left baffled after struggling to find a once common and popular ingredient which seems to have vanished from the shelves.‌Certain supermarket products become staples in the kitchens of countless people across the nation - from milk and eggs, to bread, rice and pasta, as well as fruit and vegetables. One former staple item holds a place in many people’s hearts thanks to nostalgic school-time memories, and its strong association with summertime lunches and salads. The ingredient in question? Cress, the edible plant that’s part of the mustard family. Instantly recognisable due to its small, green, almost “fluffy” looking leaves, it packed a punch with its strong peppery and tangy flavour.‌Cress is dense in nutrients and is often added to salads and a variety of sandwiches - like the classic egg and cress - as well as being used as a garnish.‌Many people hold classroom memories of growing cress in an eggshell with a face drawn on the front, with the leafy greens creating the appearance of “hair”.But some shoppers have been left scratching their heads over their struggle to track it down in the supermarkets. One person took to Reddit to ask if anyone else had noticed.They penned: “What happened to cress? Can’t find it anywhere in the supermarkets, not in the pre-made sandwiches either.‌“You used to see it everywhere, now I don’t reckon I’ve seen any in years.”One Reddit user joked: “You don’t buy cress, you grow it on damp cotton wool in an eggshell with a face drawn on it.”‌Another said: “You are 100% definitely correct OP. I asked exactly the same thing to a food writer friend of mine about a year ago. And she had no answer, whilst at the same time conceding the validity of the question.“This year though, at least in my neck of the woods, it’s been making a comeback. Still not as prevalent as once it was, but for the first time for quite a while - I can now regularly get it again in the ‘Big Sainsbury's’.”After adding a screenshot of their WhatsApp message to a friend which included a photo of them holding a tub of cress and adding “f***ing love a bit of cress”, they continued: “You can tell how excited I was…”‌A third advised: “Buy a packet of seeds and grow it on some cotton wool or kitchen roll. If you grow fenugreek seeds you get curry flavoured shoots that go great in chicken butties.”Someone else has noticed a change: “I certainly remember cress tasting more strong and mustardy when I was a kid than buying an egg & cress sandwich these days…”One Reddit user commented: “Yeah well I'm old af so I noticed the difference in taste from being a child whose Mum was a massive cress user. We had egg butties all the time, dad's favourite pack-up lunch.Article continues below“I maybe have my nostalgia specs on but it stopped tasting like peppery cress. It was still ok on an egg butty but not the same.”And another added: “My kid has come home with s***loads from nursery and school consistently for the last 7 years.“No need to buy it, the education system seemingly has a constant supply.”