Bardsley & Sons has swept to victory once again at the National Fruit Show, picking up a host of prizes, particularly in the Bramley and pear categories.
Among other awards, the Kent grower won the Avalon Produce Prize for Bramley, the ANG Trophy for Conference pears, the Roger Norton Trophy for best exhibitor of culinary apples and the Bayer Rose Bowl for the best exhibitor of pears.
Other big winners at the Kent Showground included Mallions Farm, which won prizes in the category of cox, orange pippin or any cox sport; Agrii, which won the NFU South East Prize for the best exhibitor of apples or pears in the show; Banfields, which won the Fiennes Cornwallis Trophy for the exhibitor gaining the highest number of points in all classes; and JL Baxter and Sons, which won prizes for its Jazz and russet apples and Comice pears.
Jazz, grown by Charlie Dunn from Chandler and Dunn, won the prize for the tastiest apple in the show, while the Best in Show this year was an exhibit of Cox entered by Agrii.
Speaking after the prizes were announced, Bardsley & Sons’ Nigel Bardsley said he was pleased at how well his business’ frost protection had worked following difficult growing conditions in the spring.
“If you have a look at the results, we got full marks for internal condition, whereas everyone else had one or two marks deducted and that’s because they suffered frost damage,” he said.
“Not only do our prizes demonstrate my wife’s ability to show well, but also the measures we took to protect the fruit.
“We sprinkle water over the trees. It’s old technology – we’ve been doing it for over 35 years – but not everyone takes these measures.”
