An innovative Best of British display of fresh flowers, plants and produce has scooped a hat-trick of gold horticultural medals.
The display, a joint project between the NFU and Waitrose, secured its third major honour of the summer on the first day of the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. This follows gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show and BBC Gardeners World Live.
Award-winning stand designer Penny Riley has once again re-created the stunning display, entitled "Waitrose and NFU: Championing British", for Hampton Court – the world’s largest flower show (July 5-10). It’s made up of a series of pavilions: four large and eight smaller ones. At the centre is a kitchen and there is also an area of wild plants to recognise the commitment growers make to the environment. There are also beehives, a watercress water feature and a patio area to represent outdoor eating.
NFU horticulture adviser Dr Chris Hartfield said: "To win one gold medal is an honour, to win two is a tremendous achievement but we’re all absolutely thrilled to win a third. The success is down to the high quality, seasonal produce British growers’ supply on a daily basis. It’s also testament to the hard work that Penny and her talented team have put in over the past few months. I would like to thank them for their efforts as well as all the NFU members and staff who have manned the stands during the summer.
"Our partnership with Waitrose has been a great success and the stand that has been on display has provided a fantastic opportunity to highlight to visitors the huge range and quality of British flowers, plants and produce that is available all year round."
Sue Steptoe, Waitrose Buying Manager Horticulture, said: "We are proud of our British growers and have been delighted to be able to showcase their wonderful produce at the RHS shows, winning three gold medals is the icing on the cake.
"Penny and her team have worked hard to produce stunning displays at each show and I would like to thank them, our partners at the NFU, our growers and the Waitrose Partners, who have helped along the way, for a real team effort in achieving such fantastic results."
