Category: Malvern Autumn Show

Image – CANNA UK Giant Vegetables champions & new Guinness World Record holders at Malvern Autumn Show 2022 at Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire.

This year’s Malvern Autumn Show has scored a record-breaking number of Guinness World Records, with 11 new prize winning giant vegetables awarded the ultimate accolade!

This whopping record breaks all previous Malvern Autumn Show tallies and is double the number of new Guinness World Records set at the 2021 show.

• Heaviest Aubergine – 3.362kg – Peter Glazebrook
• Longest Leek – 1.432m – Derek Hulme
• Longest Turnip – 4.605m – Joe Atherton
• Longest Luffa – 697mm – Ian Neale
• Heaviest Luffa – 2.616kg – Ian Neale
• Heaviest Field Pumpkin – 121.6kg – Mark Baggs
• Heaviest Runner Bean – 176g – Lee Herrington
• Longest Potato Plant – 2.847m – Kevin Fortey
• Longest Broad Bean – 396mm – Ian Simpson
• Heaviest Broad Bean – 184g – James Pearson
• Longest Runner Bean – 769mm – Lee Herrington

The ginormous legumes form the CANNA UK Giant Vegetables Championships, which takes place at Malvern each autumn and is the ultimate location for giant growers coming together to compete in this globally recognised competition.

Entrants come from across the UK to take part and spend months preparing their entries in classes ranging from heaviest watermelon to longest chili. There are thirty three classes in total and whilst pumpkins are arguably the largest in size, the huge vegetables include Khol Rabi, cantaloupe melons, squash and so much more.

Jane Edwards, Head of Shows commented: “We are absolutely thrilled that the efforts of our world record breaking growers has resulted in the largest number of new Guinness World Record titles ever achieved at Malvern Autumn Show. The whole event is run in partnership with CANNA UK and is one of the most popular features at our annual celebration of Autumn.”

Spectacular flowers, a mouth-watering array of food and drink, giant vegetables and lots of family fun are all in store with the return of the UK’s biggest Harvest Festival, the Malvern Autumn Show, on 23 – 25 September 2022 at Three Counties Showground.

Set against the backdrop of the glorious Malvern Hills, the three-day festival promises to celebrate the very best of the autumn season and here are nine reasons why you won’t want to miss it!

• Resplendent RHS Flower Show

A real highlight of the Malvern Autumn Show is always the magnificent RHS Flower Show, which showcases the UK’s best nurseries and growers and their spectrum of specialist blooms, as they compete for the coveted gold medal from the RHS judges. Plus, there’s a chance to start planning next year’s spring pots and borders, with every kind of bulb, tuber and corm for sale, alongside expert advice to help your garden flourish.

• Entertaining Celebrity and Special Guests

Special guests set to draw in crowds across the weekend include BBC’s Gardeners’ World favourites Arit Anderson, Adam Frost and Frances Tophill. Over at the Food & Drink Village, John Torode MBE, one of the most popular and influential figures on the UK culinary circuit, and TV cook show co-host and judge, will be delighting visitors with live cookery demonstrations. Also appearing over the weekend are award-winning food writer Mark Diacono, floristry extraordinaire Jonathan Moseley and archaeologist and TV presenter Jules Hudson, along with fellow BBC’s Escape to the Country co-host Nicki Chapman. And not forgetting Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off finalist Chigs Parmar, and Reg Moule, one of Worcestershire’s best loved gardening personalities and radio broadcasters.

• Mouth-watering Food

A delicious array of tasty treats will be on offer at the al fresco Food & Drink Village across the weekend. Visitors can expect to find delicacies from a wide range of outstanding local suppliers, from brownies to pancakes, pizzas to burgers, cheese to preserves, whatever takes your fancy you’ll find it here! Don’t miss the daily cooking demonstrations at the Kitchen Theatre, including John Torode MBE, Chigs Parmar and some brilliant regional chefs including Suki Pantal and James Mearing.

• Exceptional Local Cider and Perry

The Three Counties are proud to produce over half of the UK’s cider apples and the majority of all UK perry pears, so where better to enjoy these traditional tipples than the very heart of these neighbouring counties?

The ever-popular Westons Cider Garden, courtesy of the show’s main sponsor, returns to the Malvern Autumn Show to offer visitors a comfy spot to relax after a busy morning exploring. Pull up a seat and enjoy a refreshing tipple of Hereford’s finest cider. Children and adults alike can also get involved in guessing the weight of the apples on the back of the vintage Westons Cider truck and be in with a chance to win some fantastic goodies!

The Festival of Perry will celebrate over 50 different varieties, with a range of Single Varieties, Blends and International Perries available to try. Visitors can discover the fascinating process of creating this time-honoured beverage with displays of presses, scratters and small-scale cider and perry making equipment. A range of skilful perry producers will be on hand to share the art of perry making and offer tips for looking after your own orchard.

Head over to the Orchard and Hopyard Pavilion where the National Fruit Show will take you on a ‘tour’ of an orchard and give you an insight into how the apple gets from the orchard to the supermarket shelf. There will also be tastings and hands-on activities running across the three days.

• A Gin-lover’s Paradise

Gin-lovers are in for a treat as the Gin Village, supported by Ludlow Gin, will offer samples, shopping, live music and, of course, the Ludlow Gin bar where you can relax in the garden surrounded by the beautiful backdrop of the Malvern Hills. But that’s not all! The Gin Show will showcase producers from across the Three Counties, with an expert panel of judges on hand to present awards, including the ’People’s Choice Award’ voted by visitors at the show. Sit back, relax and listen to ‘gintastic’ talks, discover recipe ideas and take part in daily tasting sessions in the Gin Theatre, hosted by Andrew Easton from BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester.

• CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship

The CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship feels a bit like stepping into wonderland as you walk among a remarkable world of gigantic legumes and enormous fruits. Growers this year are keen to beat the Guinness World Records set at the 2021 show for the heaviest marrow, aubergine and broad bean pod, and for the longest leek. Visitors can join in with the new ‘People’s Choice Award’ by voting for their favourite vegetable in each category.

• New World of Animals Arena

A brand-new addition for this year’s Malvern Autumn Show, the World of Animals arena will host dazzling displays from The Horsemen of the Knight, the Three Counties Carriage Driving Group, and Suffolk Punch heavy horses. There will also be a fascinating Wildlife and Education Centre where curious visitors can discover more about their favourite animals. The Parade of Dogs and Parade of Animals is sure to be a highlight for many, featuring a wide variety of animals, including different breeds of dogs, horses, pigs, sheep and alpacas.

• Lots of Family Fun

Over on the Family Green, there will be plenty to entertain visitors both young and old, including free have-a-go activities such as circus skills, croquet, giant Jenga, wand making workshops, broomstick making (Saturday & Sunday only) and pedal tractors, and animals aplenty. This is one of the most popular areas of the show and it’s no wonder why!

The Discover Harvest Village Show, a mini Harvest Festival, is also located on the family green and is jam-packed with imaginative home makes, including creatures made from fruit and vegetables, decorated plant pots and seasonal snaps. There’s still time to enter the competitions if your children would like to get involved, or they can simply get creative on the day. See https://www.malvernautumn.co.uk/ for details.

Children can also take part in the new Family Trail, sponsored by Bredon School. Workbooks and pencils will be available at all gates upon arrival and can ​be completed by finding the eight ‘Sid the Squirrel’ boards dotted around the showground. Once completed, head to the Bredon School stand to pick up a prize!

• Marvellous Vintage Village

Enjoy a throwback to the good old days in the fabulous Vintage Village and Rural Pursuits zone. Dress up in your finery and enter the ‘Best Dressed’ competition, or take part in the ‘parade by decade’. Join in one of the fun free dance lessons celebrating the classic moves from the 40s and 50s. For a more relaxing afternoon, enjoy a cup of tea and slice of cake in the Vintage Tearoom, or head to the Wartime Pub for a pint in 1940s style surroundings. There will also be a vintage funfair, including a remarkable helter skelter, amazing vintage cars, original barrel organ, and a host of vintage machinery, including tractors, caravans and garden machinery.

The Rural Pursuits area will celebrate some of Britain’s most traditional activities, where visitors can learn from expert artisanal crafts people about some of the skills and pastimes which have survived over the years and continue to thrive today.

Tickets to the Malvern Autumn Show cost £18.85 per person, £17.85 for members and are free of charge for children under 16. Book tickets online in advance to save at www.malvernautumn.co.uk or call 01684 584900 for more information.

Expert growers will once again battle it out to win the coveted prize of heaviest or longest vegetable in the much-loved CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship, when it returns to the Malvern Autumn Show at Three Counties Showground, from 23 – 25 September 2022.

Each year records are broken as expert growers wow spectators with their enormous fruit and vegetables, as adjudicators and representatives from the National Vegetable Society officiate the competition. At the 2021 competition, four new Guinness World Records were set for the heaviest marrow (at a huge 116.4kg, which is 22.7kg heavier than the previous record) by Vincent Sjodin (from Wales), heaviest aubergine (at 3.12kg) by Peter Glazebrook (from Nottingham), heaviest broad bean pod (at 106g) and longest leek (at 1.36m) both by Joe Atherton (also from Nottingham).

From giant pumpkins to enormous carrots, huge beetroots to massive parsnips, the competition promises to be packed full of fantastic fruits and vegetables like you’ve never seen before!

Competitors of all ages can get involved, with children from 5-15 years taking part in the Junior Sunflower classes to see who can grow the largest sunflower head. Other family-friendly fun over the weekend includes the World of Animals showcase, the Top Dogs Arena, as well as a jam-packed programme of free children’s activities including circus skills, croquet, giant Jenga and pedal tractors.

The Harvest Zone will celebrate the very best of the autumn season, with a beautiful display of locally grown vegetables, soft fruits and flowers housed in one of the UK’s largest harvest pavilions. Pick up growing tips from National Plant Societies and marvel at the Grow to Show competitions, featuring over 175 classes of cut flowers, vegetables, fruits, alpines, succulents and pot plants.

Also taking place over the long weekend is the spectacular RHS Flower Show, featuring a dazzling display of exceptional blooms. Special guests will be on hand to share expert advice, including Gardeners’ World favourites Adam Frost, Arit Anderson and Frances Tophill. A tantalising array of tasty treats will await in the Food & Drink Village, and refreshments will be on hand in the Gin Village supported by Ludlow Gin, Festival of Perry and Westons Cider Garden. The Countryside Shopping Pavilion is the place to head for original artwork, hand-made jewellery and other artisan crafts.

Advance tickets to the Malvern Autumn Show cost £18.85 per person and children under 16 go free. For further information or to book tickets see www.malvernautumn.co.uk or call 01684 584924.

Fabulous flowers, food, drink and family fun will once again transform the Three Counties Showground with the return of the UK’s biggest Harvest Festival, the Malvern Autumn Show, on 23 – 25 September 2022.

Set against the backdrop of Worcestershire’s glorious Malvern Hills, the three-day spectacular promises to celebrate the very best of the season, from giant crops and floral art to shopping, local ciders and tasty treats.

A real highlight is always the RHS Flower Show, which showcases the UK’s best nurseries and growers and their spectrum of specialist blooms, as they compete for the coveted gold medal from the RHS judges. Plus, there’s a chance to start planning next year’s spring pots and borders, with every kind of bulb, tuber and corm for sale, alongside expert advice to help your garden flourish.

Green-fingered visitors are sure to enjoy the Grow Zone and Harvest Zone, where they will find visual floral feasts and sales, trade secrets and tips from renowned experts, and a celebration of the great British harvest highlighting the finest from the Three Counties’ orchards and hopyards. Not forgetting the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship, a world of gigantic legumes and enormous fruits. Last year alone, four new world records were broken for the heaviest marrow, aubergine and broad bean pod, and longest leek.

Over on the Family Green, there will be lots to entertain visitors both young and old, including free have-a-go activities such as pedal tractors and circus and bushcraft skills, a mini harvest festival, and animals aplenty, from dazzling dog displays in the Top Dogs Arena to the popular World of Animals featuring giant rabbits, alpacas, horses and more.

Special guests set to draw in crowds across the weekend include Gardener’s World’s own Arit Anderson, award-winning food writer Mark Diacono, floristry extraordinaire Jonathan Moseley, archeologist and TV presenter Jules Hudson and landscape designer and television favourite, Adam Frost.

Fans of nostalgia can head back in time and relive the glory days in the Vintage Village and Rural Pursuits zones, where they will find vintage machinery displays, forgotten skills and rural crafts. Plus, a traditional tearoom serving up delights from the 40s and 50s era.

Jane Edwards, Shows Manager, said: “The Malvern Autumn Show is a celebration of one of the most exciting and vibrant British seasons. We are delighted to bring back an amazing array of flowers, plants, experts, traditional skills, animals and food and drink from across our three counties – promising something for the whole family to enjoy.

“The show really is a plantsman’s paradise, so whether you’re looking for inspiration for your own garden or allotment, or simply want to soak up the beautiful blooms, the Three Counties Showground is the place to be this September.”

Breakfast, lunch, dinner – and of course tasty treats – are all on offer, courtesy of a huge range of outstanding local suppliers in the Food & Drink Village. Plus, the Kitchen Theatre, the Gin Show sponsored by Ludlow Gin, Festival of Perry and Westons Cider Garden.

All this, and so much more, promising an unforgettable family day out, with tickets costing just £18.85 per person, £17.85 for members and free of charge for children under 16. Book tickets online in advance to save at www.malvernautumn.co.uk or call 01684 584900 for more information.

Three Counties Showground was basked in sunshine for its annual seasonal celebration and the UK’s biggest harvest festival this September. The ever-popular Malvern Autumn Show is a firm favourite with visitors and the highlight of the harvest calendar, celebrating all things autumnal.

Expert growers travelled from across the UK to enter their prize vegetables into the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship, award-winning nurseries created beautiful displays and the Harvest Pavilion was packed with over 1100 entries in more than 170 classes from people who grow everything from root vegetables to dahlias.

The Malvern Autumn Show boasted four new Guinness World Records for 2021, with world-class competitors fighting it out to be crowned new title holders. This year’s successful winners achieved the following accolades:

Heaviest Marrow – 116.4kg (256 lb 9.8oz)
Vincent Sjodin of Barry lsland, Wales
22.7kg (50lb) heavier

Heaviest Aubergine – 3.12kg (6lb 14oz)
Peter Glazebrook of Newark, Nottingham
60g heavier

Heaviest Broad Bean Pod – 106g (3.74oz)
Joe Atherton of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

Longest Leek – 1.36m (4ft 5.5in)
Joe Atherton of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
14cm longer

The show is a celebration of gardening, food and drink and artisan produce and this year welcomed record numbers of visitors across a new three-day format. The show was sponsored by local artisan cider producers Westons Cider, and ran from Friday 24^th to Sunday 26^th September. It had something for everyone including a new outdoor food and drink village, plus the return of the popular Malvern Gin Show where local  distilleries battled it out to be named in one of four categories, including Best Flavoured Gin won by Penrhos Spirits for their Penrhos Apple & Elderflower Gin. Awards were presented by TV chef Matt Tebbutt and visitors whiled away the hours in the relaxing Gin Garden serviced by Malvern Gin Show sponsors Ludlow Gin.

The 90-acre showground housed several dedicated theatres including the Gin Pod Theatre with regular masterclasses, the Autumn Potager Theatre with an impressive line-up of celebrity gardening and horticultural speakers, including BBC Gardeners World host Adam Frost with Mark Diacono and Jules Hudson and the Food & Drink Theatre hosted by Eat Well For Less presenter Chris Bavin featuring well-known chefs Phil Vickery and Matt Tebbutt.

FESTIVAL STATISTICS

• Record numbers of visitors for the NEW 3-day format
• 450 entries to the UK Giant Vegetable Championships
• 4 world records broken by the UK Giant Vegetable Championship
• Over 1,100 entries in the Grow to Show area of the Harvest Pavilion
• Over 45 award winning nurseries on display in the Open Air RHS Flower Show

Next year’s Malvern Autumn Show will take place on Saturday 24 September and Sunday 25 September. For information, please visit www.malvernautumnshow.co.uk or call 01684 23012

Chris Eldridge, Head of Shows, said: “This year’s record-breaking Malvern Autumn Show was a great way to relaunch our events calendar after almost two years and our visitors welcomed the new 3-day format, which was a huge success.”

Expert growers have been arriving for the last 24 hours at Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, UK to battle it out to win the highly prized first place prize in the much-loved CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship.

This year’s entrants have come from far and wide to show their enormous fruit and vegetables, as adjudicators and representatives from the Guinness World Records officiated the competition and announced not just one new Guinness World Record but 4!

New Guinness World Records Include:

Heaviest Marrow – 116.4kg (256 lb 9.8oz)

Vincent Sjodin of Barry lsland, Wales

22.7kg (50lb) heavier

Heaviest Aubergine – 3.12kg (6lb 14oz)

Peter Glazebrook of Newark, Nottingham

60g heavier

Heaviest Broad Bean Pod – 106g (3.74oz)

Joe Atherton of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

Longest Leek – 1.36m (4ft 5.5in)

Joe Atherton of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

14cm longer

Chris Eldridge, Head of Shows, said: “We are over the moon that this year’s CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship has resulted in so many new Guinness World Records! Congratulations to all the winners and of course the record breaking vegetables will be on show for everyone to see on Saturday 25^th & Sunday 26^th September at Malvern Autumn Show.”

Advance tickets to the Malvern Autumn Show cost £18 for general admission, children under 16 go free. For further information or to book tickets see www.malvernautumn.co.uk or call 01684 584924.

Harvest Festival Collection

Visitors to the NEW 3 day Malvern Autumn Show at Three Counties Showground, the UK’s biggest harvest festival, will not only enjoy a jam-packed day out but also have the opportunity to donate to the CCP Community Pantry.

The Community Pantry is an important hub for many individuals and is an alternative to the standard food parcel. Rather than being handed a box of unhealthy or unwanted items, pantry members are able to shop freely in a farm-shop-appeal pantry. They are able to choose from fresh meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables donated regularly, in addition to the longer life staples that many rely on. The main charity Harvest Festival Collection point is situated next to the Food & Drink Theatre and close to the showgrounds West Gate Entrance, plus there are handy drop off points at South Gate Entrance and North Gate Entrance

A range of dry goods are needed:

• UHT semi-skimmed milk
• Coffee
• Sugar
• Tinned Fruit
• Tinned Meat
• Tinned Rice Pudding
• Biscuits
• Jams or spreads
• Condiments
• Cleaning items, such as Cif, Fairy Liquid

Please do consider bringing along a few items to donate at the Malvern Autumn Show and supporting the work of CCP.

Find out more about the work of CCP at www.ccp.org.uk

Fabulous floral displays and inspiration await visitors to this year’s Malvern Autumn Show, where the RHS Flower Show takes centre stage from Friday 24 September until Sunday 26 September.

More than 40 of the UK’s best nurseries and expert growers will gather in the new open-air floral arena to transform the Three Counties Showground with an abundance of colour, scent and movement: all competing for the coveted RHS 5-star rating in the first morning’s judging session.

Whether you’re a budding Monty Don or Frances Tophill, looking for floral inspiration, or you simply want to bring the beauty of outside in, this celebration of blooms will delight the senses of family members of all ages.

Receiving an RHS 5-star rating is the ultimate accolade for a nursery; real recognition for skill and effort, as well as encouraging and inspiring others. Judges are highly experienced, independent horticultural experts, trained in judging using the RHS criteria. This includes the complexity of the display in its construction, how challenging the planting is, overall impression and originality.

Nurseries, therefore, push their creativity and skills to the limit, promising a fresh floral feast for green-fingered growers, horticultural lovers and instagrammers alike. From shade-loving succulents and dazzling dahlias to prairie-style posies, tropical treasure troves and planet-friendly pollinators, there will be stunning displays, plants for sale and expert advice to enhance all types of gardens and homes.

All nurseries will receive a star rating prize card, with top prizes including Best in Show and Judge’s Choice Awards for those who have gone above and beyond with their displays.

Any visit to the floral arena area of the show wouldn’t be complete without a peek at the brimming bulb market where visitors can handpick from a selection of tulip, allium, daffodil and dahlia bulbs – perfect for adding a pop of colour to spring planting.

Nurseries visitors can look forward to seeing at the show include Bean Place Nursery, Craig House Cacti,  Hooksgreen Herbs, Hardy’s Cottage Garden Plants, Harts Nursery, Petrichor Bulb Specialists,  Primrose Bank, Rose Cottage Plants and many, many more.

Jane Edwards, Shows Manager, said: “We are delighted that the Malvern Autumn Show is back and for the first time, our jam-packed event is being held over three days. This ginormous harvest festival is full of people enthusiastic about growing and food – it’s a real end of the season celebration.

“Over 40 of the UK’s top nurseries and growers will create impressive displays at the show. They are happy to share their expert advice and knowledge with visitors, which is always spot on.”

Entry to the RHS Flower Show is included in admission to the Malvern Autumn Show, an annual celebration of gardening, food & drink, artisan produce and nostalgia, taking place from Friday 24 to Sunday 26 September.

The long weekend will feature celebrity guests, the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championship; a new outdoor Food and Drink Village; one of the biggest Grow to Show competitions in the country and, of course, endless family fun and free activities, from pedal tractors and croquet, to arts and crafts activities, the Top Dogs Arena, and the World of Animals showcase.

Tickets for the Malvern Autumn Show are available from https://www2.theticketfactory.com/three-counties/online/

Ticket prices include:
General Admission (from 10am): £18, Under 16-year-olds: Free (but ticket required)
Parking: Standard Parking free, Gold Parking £15