Child dwarfed by giant vegetables as amateur grower breaks world record for longest parsnip with 18.5ft monster
- Super-sized root parsnip is 36 times bigger than a standard parsnip and can make 88 Sunday roast batons
- Scores of gardeners have entered competition and a total of 204 vegetables have gone on display
For the first time a child who is totally dwarfed by a giant cabbage might have a decent excuse for refusing to eat up all the greens.
With the summer of sporting contest continues at the Olympic park, a few hundred miles away in the idyllic surroundings of Shepton Mallet, a fierce competition of a very different nature is taking place.
Gardeners from across the country have descended on the Somerset town to battle to be crowned this year's king of the crops by displaying the biggest, longest and heaviest vegetables.
Among the highlights is a new world-record breaking 18.5ft long parsnip which has been lovingly grown by Peter Glazebrook from Newark in Nottinghamshire.
Green monster: A young girl is dwarfed by a massive cabbage, just one of the many vegetables on display at the exhibition in Shepton Mallet
Root of the matter: Peter Glazebrook from Newark with his world record winning parsnip which measured in at 18.5ft at the National Gardening Show at the Royal Bath and West Showground
The super-sized root vegetable is 36 times bigger than a standard parsnip and is large enough to produce a staggering 88, 2.5inch Sunday roast batons or 25 bowls of Jamie Oliver's spicy parsnip soup.
The green-fingered grower - a retired chartered surveyor - has previously held the world record for the largest spud, after producing an 8lbs 40oz monster.
Peter has also been the double Guinness World Record holder for the heaviest parsnip, at 13lb, and the longest beetroot at 21ft.
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With reference to his new record-breaking parsnip he said: 'I am chuffed. It is very tricky to grow long parsnips.
'I grow them in pipes attached to the gable end of a barn so they grow downwards and what happens is the parsnip grows long and thin.
'The pipe comes apart in half lengthways and it's a very delicate operation to get it out of the soil without breaking it.
'I managed it with this one.'
Pumped up: Dave Thomas from Hayle steadies his giant pumpkin as he slowly but surely brings it into the arena
Cucumber sandwiches? Ian Neale from Newport with his giant orange-coloured cucumber
Other heavy, large and long vegetable varieties include cucumbers, lettuces and tomatoes with pumpkins bigger than a child having to be hoisted into the display arena using special forklift trucks.
Scores of gardeners have entered the annual competition with a total of 204 vegetables going on display.
Some of the vegetables are so long two people are needed to measure them.
A spokesman for the Royal Bath & West Showground, where the competition is taking place, said the giant vegetables were a star attraction.
They said: 'We have a large selection of giant vegetables where exhibitors come from all over the country with the largest, heaviest and longest produce.
'They range from the heaviest potatoes to the longest runner beans. It is a hugely popular part of the show.
'The vegetables are judged and weighed as they arrive at the show. The parsnip will be the only world record this year.'
Mr Glazebrook added: 'I do shows every weekend and as shows go, this is the biggest one for giant veg - everyone is here and it is extraordinary.'
Eating your greens: Jamie Courtney-Fortey, six, pictured with a giant leek - one of 204 vegetables to go on display at this year's event
Impressed: The display at the showground in Shepton Mallet attracted hundreds of people when it opened its doors yesterday
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