Some of the happy prize winners at the Show showing off their rosettes.
The 9th Annual Produce Show and Open Day took place on Sunday 31 August 2025, 1pm to 4pm. The weather was a bit unsettled. Some strong gusts and one short rain shower but also sunny intervals, so overall a good day for the show.
RHS show judge J-P at work scrutinising the produce for blemishes. Assisted by Elisabeth (in hat) and Rachel (cakes and preserves judge)
This year we had two show judges. J-P, who is an accredited Royal Horticultural Society judge, for the vegetable, fruit and flower categories and Rachel, enthusiastic baker and Bake Off hopeful, who judged the cakes and preserves. The Plot Holder of The Year judge was once again Peter, who cultivates his garden in the New Town area of Luton.
Prize giving in full swing. Happy 1st prize winner in the Children’s Drawing category skips off with her prize, a top quality drawing pad and set of brush pens.This year the theme of the Children’s Drawing Competition was ‘Butterflies’.
Activities on the day included:
produce show and plot holder of the year award
children’s activities – apple pressing and drawing competition
refreshments and cakes
charity sale of home-made jams, preserves and produce
outdoor games
Corn Hole tournament
Photos from the day
Preparing apples from the orchard for pressing. Konni was in charge of operating the pressing equipment. A brand new extra efficient press was inaugurated this year. www.lutonorchards.org
The catering team gearing up for action in mafia style sunglasses. There was brisk trade in everything on offer with the lemon drizzle cake being a firm favourite again.
New savoury. range this year with a bold fusion creation – the chicken tikka pasty.
Vegetables taking up their positions in readiness for the beauty pageant. Gusts of high wind caused some dramas. The category cards went spinning off up into the clouds. Near panic before rescue arrived in the form of a sack of gravel. The little piles of stones saved the day and also look quite attractive.
Special ‘Newbies’ and ‘Display’ sections this year to make sure produce that didn’t fit the strict standards of the main show also got a chance to show off. Here ‘lite’ judging was applied with very relaxed criteria.
Corn Hole tournament in progress. There were 19 contestants in total. The winner this year was Aariz.
A trio of happy traffic lights themed show visitors.
Caribbean Barbie introducing Comic-Con Barbie to the national instrument of Trinidad & Tobago played by Pan Maestro Ian Beckles of revellerssteelband.co.uk
Brisk trade in refreshment gazebo. Almost a stampede to grab the lemon drizzle cake.Happy winner of the ‘Newbie’ category for a very attractive and blemish free pumpkin. ‘Newbies’ was for plot holders experiencing their first successful growing season.
Allotment site visitors tramping through the undergrowth. Not all of the Stockingstone site is a marvel of weed free perfection.
A still-life of produce.
The Pollinators – up and coming bandLots of activities to choose from. Corn Hole game, apple pressing, drawing, tombola or just meandering about in the sun eating lemon drizzle cake whilst admiring the views of Luton down in the valley.Ralph getting wet and looking glum. Weather was good, only one short shower of very wet rain.Tombola doing a brisk trade. Every ticket, a winner.Helen is the ‘Plot Holder of the Year’ 2025. View her beautiful flower beds here
Stockingstone Road Allotment Association 