The Robert Mitchell Partnership came out as double winners in this year’s National Fruit Show (NFS) long-term farm stored competition.
Robert Mitchell won both the pear class and the Ron Tassell Trophy for Store Operator of the Best All Round Exhibit at the NFS AGM at East Malling Research station last Thursday.
JIB Cannon & Son scooped the dessert apple category’s Long Term Farm Stored (LTFS) top gong, with Giles Cannon collecting the award from NFS president Michael Jack MP, while JL Baxter & Son and FW Mansfield & Son shared the coveted Long Term Farm Stored (LTFS) award in the Cox class.
Newmafruit triumphed in the Bramley class and its new storage manager Jeremy Lendon said: “SmartFresh has revolutionised the storage of Bramley over the last four or five years and we’ve never had such good pressures [in Cox too].”
There were 40 entries in the Long Term Farm Stored Competition and 171 entries in the main show competition.
Outgoing chairman Jeremy Scott said the National Fruit Show Society is in a “strong position” and that Jack has some “strong ideas about how we can further promote the fruit business and maintain the NFS in the vanguard of the fruit industry”.
Sarah Calcutt of Norman Collett was warmly welcomed as the society’s new chairman and she announced two new sponsors for the show - Agrovista and International Controlled Atmosphere - who join Norman Collett and BASF in backing the event.
Calcutt also announced the theme for this year’s event, which takes place on 20-21 October, as ‘Next Generation’.
Calcutt said: “We will be looking at things like innovation, advances in technology, new storage techniques, new varieties and growing techniques and look to find people to speak on these topics for Speaker’s Corner.”
The attendance of DEFRA’s food and farming director general Katrina Williams and chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc at the 2009 event was lauded and further luminaries are hoped to visit this year’s Kent County Showground event.
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