Back in 1962, the US was still nearly a decade away from landing on the moon, The Beatles were only just putting out their first single, and the planet was collectively holding its breath as it waited to see the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
That same year was also when Christopher John Kensit began working in wholesale at the old Covent Garden Market in London aged 19, following in the footsteps of his father.
Now aged, 72, and having worked at New Covent Garden Market since that site opened in 1974, Kensit is set to hang up his high-vis vest for the final time at the end of September.
He told FPJ: “I’m going to miss the people in the market the most – the banter, the pranks, all the things like that.
“This industry is in my blood, and I have always loved the characters you meet in it.”
Kensit has been working at French Garden for the last 12 years. Before that, he worked for a number of companies in the trade, having started life in fresh produce wholesale as a salesman at Runfold Farm Packers.
Kensit also ran an eponymously-named fruit and vegetable commissioning agency for a stint. He has four sons, several of whom live in Australia, and Kensit plans to spend three months of the winter in Australia as he adjusts to retired life.
