The fruit industry is firmly at the heart of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, but it shares that place with the City. Much of a Master’s year is spent representing the Company within the City. Sometimes this concerns our own trade; but often it does not. So it was a particular pleasure to have been invited to the City Markets Committee Dinner in March.

This dinner is arranged and hosted by the City Markets Committee of the Corporation of the City of London and is attended by many involved in and working in the various markets that are run by the City.

It was very good to hear from Mark Boleat, the chairman of the committee, and from Sheriff Peter Cook, who provided confirmation of the importance of the markets in the wholesale trade in London and of the thriving volumes of produce traded through the markets. For us Fruiterers, of course, that concerns New Spitalfields Market, which is run by the corporation, as well as New Covent Garden Market, Western International and Borough Market.

The main guest speaker was Rosie Boycott, formerly the editor of the Daily Express and now the food adviser to the Greater London Authority. She spoke lyrically about the trends of “real” and good food, all of which help our industry.

All in all, it was an excellent evening and the pleasure for me was enhanced by seeing a good number of fellow Fruiterers there.