M&S and Manor Fresh do the double

Marks & Spencer and its specialist potato and vegetable supplier Manor Fresh Ltd celebrated a double success at last Thursday’s Grower of the Year awards, with wins in two categories.

The Vegetable Grower of the Year gong went to M&S growers John Addams Williams and Philip Kingsmill, while the Best New Variety - Edibles went to M&S Chopin potatoes.

Specialist potato grower colleagues Addams Williams and Kingsmill of Greenseed International have achieved a number of firsts for M&S customers in the last two years. In partnership with Manor Fresh, they have pioneered growing techniques that reduced imports and extended the British season for M&S potatoes. They successfully produced the first commercial-scale, British-grown sweet potatoes, sold at M&S in November 2007. In 2008, they were one of only four growers who extended sales of British, freshly lifted, new potatoes at M&S for a full month beyond the usual season end, by using an old Fenland ground storage technique in a new and innovative way, leading to a large reduction in imported new potatoes.

At the same time, they grew the entire crop of Annabelle potatoes destined for M&S’s introduction of Season’s Gold new potatoes, which became the retailer’s fastest-growing new potato launch ever.

Chopin potatoes, launched exclusively at M&S in autumn 2008, were the result of 12 years of searching and testing of more than 1,000 varieties by Manor Fresh. Chopin is renowned for its versatility and range of culinary usages.

Hugh Mowat, senior technologist at M&S, said: “Winning best new variety with our recently launched Chopin potatoes was a fitting accolade for a product that has proven so popular with our shoppers, and for the team at Manor Fresh who discovered it. I am also absolutely delighted to see John Addams Williams and Philip Kingsmill winning Vegetable Grower of the Year. They typify our approach to growing innovation - through Manor Fresh we work closely with dedicated growers who have the highest standards, and select only the best-tasting, best eating varieties for our customers.”