A gooseberry enthusiast from Cheshire has won an award for a berry that he grew from stock cultivated by his father 60 years ago.
Doug Carter won the CR Griffiths Challenge Cup at the Goostrey village show for producing the single heaviest berry.
His father, Frank Carter, cultivated a ‘Just Betty’ gooseberry, which was named after his mother Betty, who won the first trophy back in 1948. He won the competition several times over the next six decades, but died three years ago.
Alan Garner, who lives in the former champion’s childhood home, told the local paper, the Congleton Guardian, that he would have been very proud.
“Frank was a very quiet, gentle man who didn’t speak much, but I remember him showing enormous pride once when he told me that Doug was a better grower than he was.”
Doug, a delivery driver, was unavailable for comment, but his wife Sandra told the paper that the grower had been experiencing difficult conditions.
“Our gooseberry pen’s been flooded with all the rain we’ve had. He didn’t expect to do as well as he did, but he’s really pleased.”
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