• Asda  On June 3, the grocery chain reported that spring sales of its Mediterranean foods and tapas jumped 40 percent over the same period last year. It reports that sales of chorizo -- as slices and sausages -- are up 21 percent over last year, while sales of Italy's Parma ham are up only 8 percent. Delicatessen sales of the traditional Spanish rice dish paella are outselling risotto by a 2-to1- margin. The company says it is even beginning to turn around two years of declining sales of quiche with new varieties featuring more Mediterranean flavors.
• Tesco reports that sales of Manchego cheese are up 9 percent annually. Sales of Parmesan? Make that an annual sales growth of 1 percent. The grocery chain says it's also selling two tons of Spanish chorizo each week, compared with just 0.4 tons of Parma ham. The Spanish omelet, or "tortilla," has become the chain's top seller at the deli counter with sales shooting up 16 percent in the last year. In March, Tesco reported that olive sales rose 44 percent in 2010. 
• Marks & Spencer reports that deli sales of the rice dish paella are outpacing sales of lasagna -- and even British pies. Sales of chorizo are outpacing sales of the traditional favorite, salami. 

Olive oil is now the most common cooking oil in the U.K. In the last eight years, Britain's consumption has doubled to more than 6.1 million gallons.