Zoo animals enjoyed a celebratory breakfast of fresh veg to mark the market’s 50th anniversary
Animals at London Zoo joined the 50th anniversary celebrations at New Covent Garden Market with a selection of high-quality fruit and vegetables sourced from the wholesale site in Nine Elms.
To mark the significant milestone, Gorillas Elika, Effie and baby Venus enjoyed a selection of cabbage, yellow pepper, corn and aubergine, whilst Pygmy hippo Amara tucked into a pile of kale, lettuce, frizzy lettuce and chicory.
The spread came from County Supplies, one of the fresh produce traders based at New Covent Garden Market.
It comes as the UK’s leading wholesale market has been selling fruit, vegetables and flowers from Nine Elms on London’s Southbank for over 50 years, originally opening on 11 November 1974. Queen Elizabeth II ceremonially opened the 35-acre market the following year.
Customers of New Covent Garden Market’s 175 wholesale traders include luxury British institutions like Harrods, Claridges and the capital’s top Michelin-starred restaurants.
Meanwhile, wholesalers at the market also include the Royal Households, and the animals of London Zoo.
Owner of Bevington Salads and chairman of Covent Garden Tenants Association, Gary Marshall, said: “It is testament to the continued passion, commitment and expertise of every trader here that we can say we were the market leader a century ago, the market leader 50 years ago and we remain the wholesale market leader now.”
