The triennial Lewis Award for exceptional services to the marketing of fresh fruit went this year to the National Cherry and Soft Fruit Show.

During the first half of the 20th century cherry growing in the UK was booming. By the 1950s, however, production was in a poor state, the trees were not suited to modern techniques and the varieties grown were being overtaken by better-quality cherries from abroad.

During this time a small group of determined growers showed the public that it was still possible to find home-grown cherries which tasted better than all the competition and exhibited them at the Cherry Show. Then about 15 years ago new dwarfing rootstocks were introduced to the UK and there followed large-scale new planting of orchards. Cherry growing is now one of the brightest stars in UK horticulture. This new dawn would not have happened if the Cherry Show had not kept interest alive.

The main driving force behind the show over the years and its current chief steward is Past Master Tony Redsell OBE. It was with great pleasure therefore that I presented the award to him on behalf of the National Cherry and Soft Fruit Show at the Fruiterers Banquet.

The banquet at the Mansion house had an international flavour this year and among our guests was His Excellency Bernard Emié, the French ambassador and the chief justice of Bhutan, Sonam Tobgay. We were also honoured by the presence of the Archbishop of York. The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor in his address made reference to two Fruiterers who in recent times have been Lord Mayors of London. Lord Neuberger, the president of the UK Supreme Court, gave a wonderfully erudite and entertaining speech in his response on behalf of the guests.

Over 70 members of the company and their guests were among an audience of more than 600 who were present at the 2013 City Food Lecture in the Guildhall. This occasion, which was founded by the Fruiterers Company, has become one of the highlights of the City of London calendar. This year’s lecture, given by Nestlé chief executive Paul Bulcke, was a powerful insight into the critical problem of global water security. I was reminded as he spoke of the importance of improving the efficiency of water usage in agriculture that our Awards Council has, in recent years, supported research looking at exactly this vital issue.

The composition of our Awards Council is a balance of liverymen with research experience in science and horticulture and those with knowledge of all aspects of the growing and marketing of fruit. Such a balance ensures that the research we support is both scientifically sound and enhances the economy of the fruit industry. At its meeting in February the Awards Council agreed to provide immediate funding to investigate the potential threat posed by the Spotted Wing Drosophila and to support studies of genetic control in apples and soil fungus profiling.

It is eight years since we funded the first fruit-related Nuffield Farming Scholarship. Our 2013 Nuffield Scholar Alison Capper has sent back reports of her amazing experiences in New Zealand and these can be seen on the Fruiterers’ website. —