THE Malvern Autumn Show provided a fantastic finale to the Three Counties Showground’s finale to its show season.

More than 65,000 people from across the country, including many from the Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Redditch, helped to once again make it a record breaking seasonal spectacle.

The weekend show provided a feast of entertainment for all the family and was blessed by warm and dry weather, if not always sunny.

Over the two days visitors were able to view four world record breaking giant vegetables, a bumper crop of gold medals in the RHS Flower Show, and a number of well known names such as chef Tom Kerridge, gardening guru Carol Klein and debonair dancer Anton du Beke.

 Ken Nottage, CEO of Three Counties said of this year's event: “It was a fantastic finale. The atmosphere has been tremendous and we hope that everyone that visited us has enjoyed themselves as much as we have and we're already looking forward to our next show, the RHS Malvern Spring Festival on May 11-14 next year."

The show played host for the third year running to the UK National Giant Vegetable Championships, sponsored by CANNA, and this year's competition welcomed a record breaking number of entries, up 20 per cent on last year, with over 360 entries from nearly 80 competitors.  

Two new categories were introduced - Heaviest Bell Pepper and Heaviest Red Cabbage and it was in this category that one of the world records was smashed.

Triple world record holder Cornishman David Thomas from Hayle topped the previous record by almost 4.5kg with his monster red cabbage weighing in at a staggering 23.2kg, the same weight as the average 7 year old child.  This record had stood for over 90 years when it was set by an R Straw in 1925.

Other world record breakers included the World's Longest Carrot at 6.245m, World's Longest Beetroot, 7.956m and World's Longest Radish, 5.023m, all grown by Joe Atherton from Mansfield.  

A UK Record for the Heaviest Kobra Gourd was set by Peter Marston, the gargantuan example weighing in at 16.92kg.

The show also hosted the last outdoor RHS Flower Show of the year with 40 award-winning nurseries offering stunning displays of plants, shrubs and produce with the Best In Show prize going to Hampshire Carnivorous Plants.

Matt Soper provided a stunning display of carnivorous plants included the introduction of a new Sarracenia hybrid that is due for release next year. It’s the second time in 19 years he has won the best in show accolade.

Bromsgrove-based Fuchsia Friends won a silver prize.