Shop-bought vegetables in Quedgeley show decision defended

Organisers said supermarket items were not judged directly against home-grown ones

Organisers of a village show have defended a decision to allow shop-bought produce to be displayed alongside home-grown vegetables.

Supermarket produce was allowed in some competition categories in the show in Quedgeley, near Gloucester.

A Quedgeley Community Trust spokesman said the bought items were not judged directly against home-grown ones.

Trust chairman Kevin Tudor described the reaction in national newspapers to the decision as "a storm in a teacup".

He said supermarket fruit and vegetables were allowed, but only in a small number of categories in which the award was for a display, rather than the produce itself.

'Disgusting'

"It's quite clear in the schedule that we're not judging shop-bought against home-grown produce," he said.

"It's like in flower arranging, you don't need to have grown the flowers to enter a display.

"It's a storm in a teacup. We've been doing it [like this] since 2012."

He added that it was "only because a parish councillor, who said it was disgusting, brought it up that we're talking about it, and she didn't know the full facts".

As well as for vegetables, there were awards in categories including flower arranging, art, photography and cake-making at the show, which took place on 11 July.