Theo Whyte
Farming reporter

Image source, PA Media

The challenging conditions this summer has put Britain’s food security in the headlines – but what is food security, and why does it matter?

Food security is defined by the World Bank as when all people, at all times, have "physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food".

As an island nation which imports much of its food from abroad, this issue has at times loomed large on the national imagination.

Prof Elizabeth Robinson, who leads the London School of Economics' Food Security Lab, says around one in eight UK households is currently experiencing food insecurity.

She tells me that it's primarily driven by poverty and the high cost of food relative to income. But, Robinson adds, "climate and weather extremes are making things worse."

"Extreme heat and drought push up the price of fruits and vegetables in particular, making it harder for households to afford a varied and nutritious diet," she says.

The UK imports four-fifths of its fruits and vegetables, Robinson says. "In the context of climate change, which makes global supply chains increasingly unreliable, it is hard to argue that the UK is sufficiently food secure."

In comments to the BBC, a spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs says that it's working with farmers to "strengthen domestic food production and make supply chains more resilient".

The spokesperson adds that the prime minister has set out a £65 million package to assist farmers with "these challenging conditions".

Plot-holder Tim Gillett, from Essex, says this summer's extraordinary heat has been a struggle for some of his fruit and vegetables.

"Fruit trees have hated the hot spell," the Walton-on-the-Naze resident says. "Starved of water, young trees have died and established trees have yielded fewer and smaller fruit.

"Quince and pears, which are being harvested in the next few weeks, are a lot smaller than in other years and there are a lot fewer of them."

The 65-year-old's brassicas - including favourites like Brussels sprouts, purple sprouting broccoli, kale and cabbage - have been hit hard too, and are small when by this time "they should be big and healthy".

But, he says, it's been an "excellent year for tomatoes", as the drought has meant no blight this year. In fact, Tim won second prize in Frinton Horticultural Society's Autumn Show for his tomatoes a fortnight ago.

Satellite images show impact of heatwaves and drought on UK landscapepublished at 13:21 BST

13:21 BST

By Barbara Metzler, Mark Poynting and Phil Leake

BBC Verify have been using satellite imagery to investigate the effect on the UK landscape from this year's summer.

We can see parts of the country are suffering from "vegetation stress" where the development and growth of plants, grass and crops can be severely affected.

Experts have said the combination of next-to-no rainfall and prolonged hot weather is likely to cause significant issues for the farming industry and have an impact on agriculture and food supplies.

You can swipe on these graphics below to take a look:

Malcolm Prior
Rural affairs producer

Livestock farmer Tom Church, carrot farmer Ben Poskitt and potato grower Nick Deane have all faced a gruelling summer.

Deane, who also grows vining peas on his land in Norfolk, says this year would be "scarred in the memory".

"I remember being in the field, trying to move pieces of machinery and irrigation pipes" - a punishing task in a heatwave, he tells the BBC.

The heat and drought saw yields fall and crop quality take a nose-dive, especially those that need significant water to grow, Deane adds.

For Poskitt, costly irrigation proved key to keeping his carrot crops going on his farm in Goole, in the East Riding of Yorkshire.

"We had such long periods of hot weather, there's a lot of stunted growth in the crop."

Since carrots don't grow in very hot temperatures, the crops were mainly being irrigated "to keep them alive", he says.

Church, who farms cattle and sheep in Bedfordshire, says his biggest worry throughout the summer was the effect of the drought on his livestock.

Limited rainfall and long stretches of days with temperatures over 30 C "was relentless in affecting the animals’ welfare," he explains.

At the same time, he adds, the threat of wildfires on his dry pastures increased feelings of "anxiety and helplessness" throughout the summer.

Anna Boyd
Live reporter (and disappointed allotment owner)

Trudging to my allotment with a barrow full of water in June, I realised it was going to be impossible to keep my plants alive.

I’ve been tending an allotment for more than 25 years and can’t remember a dry spell like it.

With no mains water on site, supplies I’d collected in butts over the winter and spring soon dwindled.

In the end, a combination of rock-hard ground and masses of sun-loving pests saw me admit defeat.

All credit to some of the other hardy plot-holders who lugged water - in buckets, bottles, and old milk containers - from home for weeks on end.

I did start a few brassicas (kale, broccoli and cavolo nero) at home in pots. Since we’ve had some rain they’ve been put in the ground back at the allotment.

I’m not expecting a bumper crop - but with only a few measly squashes to show for the rest of the growing year, anything will do.

Alistair Binney
Reporting from the competition

Competitor Michele Thomas from Pembrokeshire says she's heard that 30% of entries this year are women, "which is amazing".

She says there are "definitely more women competing", with the number having "doubled since 2023".

She knows many women who grow vegetables, but not all are competing. What she says to them is: "Let's take some of the top prizes".

Pumpkins have been Thomas's best performers historically but she only has a small one this year because "my main pumpkin plant really suffered in the heat" and "threw up lots of anomalies that I've never seen before," she says.

She describes the conditions as "very challenging".

Her best outcome this year was fourth place for her aubergine, which she says she's "really pleased with".

Alistair Binney
Reporting from the championship

I've been speaking to Kevin Fortey, whose family first started the tradition of the giant vegetable competition.

"It started off in the 80s with a tiny seed and it's mothballed now into this huge spectacle," he says. He tells me his dad started the championship at the pub after a challenge to see who could grow the biggest pumpkin.

"And within two years, the pumpkins had got that big and people were coming from all over the UK", Fortey says.

However, he does not feel a family pressure to continue the legacy of growing giant vegetables, and instead sees it as a delight.

But he acknowledges that it is stressful when having to battle the elements.

"We've had exceptionally warm weather this year in Wales," he says.

The hotter weather did mean that he could grow different types of vegetables this year - including a tropical plant: the luffa, which weighed just over five kilos, or 11 lbs. He says it is the equivalent size to an adult house cat.

"I’m really proud of what I’ve achieved over my growing career, I’m only 48 and hopefully I’ve got a long time ahead," he says.

"My dad would be exceptionally proud of what I’ve achieved".

Heaviest

• Heaviest cantaloupe melon: Joe Atherton, 12.752kg
• Heaviest kohlrabi: Vincent Sjodin, 31.5kg
• Heaviest leek: Paul Rochester, 7.5kg
• Heaviest onion: Joe Atherton, 7.27kg
• Heaviest three onions: Joe Atherton, 18.51kg
• Heaviest potato: Derek Richardson, 2.92kg
• Heaviest three sticks of rhubarb: Derek Richardson, 2.996kg
• Heaviest watermelon: Peter Glazebrook, 13.78kg

Longest

• Longest chilli: Andy Dawson, 0.459m
• Longest runner bean: Gwyn Davies, 0.723m

Heaviest

• Heaviest beetroot: Vincent Sjodin, 26.02kg
• Heaviest carrot: Chris Marriott, 5.79kg
• Heaviest parsnip: Peter Glazebrook, 6.56kg
• Heaviest radish: Paul Rochester, 16.56kg
• Heaviest swede: Derek Richardson, 45.5kg

Longest

• Longest beetroot: Joe Atherton, 7.565m
• Longest carrot: Joe Atherton, 4.056m
• Longest parsnip: Joe Atherton, 2.49m
• Longest radish: Dean Ward, 4.374m

Gloucester's Graham Barratt is the winner in the longest cucumber category, and claims the world record for longest cucumber plant, at 7.5m (24.6ft).

For him, success has come down to feeding the vegetable the "right things at the right time". But like other growers, the main challenge this year has been the weather.

"And, of course, this year, only one word can describe it: bonkers," he says.

"You've had to look after your plants more, you've had to keep them watered, fed... most things have finished too early for the show, so next year I think we have to learn to start the plants a bit later."

Despite the hurdles, his love of the Malvern competition hasn't dimmed.

"Watching people come through the doors, if you don't hear what they say, you can see it on their faces," Graham says, adding that he relishes the rivalry.

"There's no point being first if you're the only person in that class," he says.

Heaviest

• Heaviest cabbage: Graham Barratt, 20kg
• Heaviest red cabbage: Neil Hands, 18kg
• Heaviest celery: Ian Neale, 30kg
• Heaviest cucumber: David Robson, 12.18kg
• Heaviest pepper: Ian Neale, 0.624kg
• Heaviest tomato: Vincent Sjodin, 3.55kg
• Heaviest three tomatoes: Vincent Sjodin, 8.17kg

Longest

• Longest cucumber: Graham Barratt, 1.054m

Alistair Binney
Reporting from the championship

Maggie Walters, from Plymouth, has just scooped a huge £1,000 prize after coming first in the heaviest aubergine competition.

Maggie says she "never expected" to win, but it has come as a "nice surprise all round".

The aubergine, which weighs in at 3.95kg, has been growing in a polytunnel, using irrigation from a borehole. It is one of eight plants that Maggie grew in a bid to claim the top spot.

"On Tuesday, when we came to harvest, we found a lot of them have gone a bit mushy," she tells me. "We parted the foliage a bit more and at the back there was this bad boy."

We're getting word of some of this year's winners. Let's start with some of the biggest:

• Heaviest pumpkin: Ian Paton, 1,258kg

• Heaviest squash: Curtis Leach, 279.5kg
• Heaviest marrow: Jack Baggs, 107kg
• Heaviest aubergine: Maggie Walters, 3.95kg

Wedaeli Chibelushi
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

I asked the competition's organisers how contestants are managing the amount of water used to grow giant vegetables, since much of the UK faced drought conditions this year.

They tell me many entrants are experienced growers who, for years, have been "learning to adapt to the ongoing challenges presented by the unpredictable climate".

"Lots of growers use rainwater collected via systems such as water butts, as well as recycling household water from showers and baths, to water their plants. Some of the growers have sites with lakes that are filled year-round via roof rainwater collection systems," they say.

Heatwaves and drought, alongside a projected increase in water demand, have sparked fears that England could one day run out of water.

The result of climate change could be that England will face a shortfall of five billion litres in public water supply a day by 2055 - almost enough to fill Wembley Stadium four and a half times daily.

This just in - it looks like seven Guinness World Records have been set at this year's competition.

According to provisional results, the record breakers are:

• Peter Glazebrook - heaviest sweetcorn kernel - 0.408kg (0.8 lbs)
• Graham Barratt - tallest cucumber plant - 7.598m (24.6 feet)
• Terry King - dandelion/weed with the longest root - 1.127m
• Vincent Sjodin - heaviest beetroot - 26.02kg
• Vincent Sjodin - heaviest sunflower head - 7.808kg
• Kevin Fortey - longest tromboncino - 1.486m
• Kevin Fortey - heaviest luffa - 5.014kg

All weights and lengths will be ratified by 11:00 BST tomorrow. We're still awaiting more details on the size of other big veg - stay with us here.

Image source, Provided

Image source, Alistair Binney / BBC

Finding a winner may look like a straightforward process, but there are several rules that growers must follow to be eligible for the competition:

• Contestants are allowed two entries per class, with only one entry from a single contestant able to take the top spot
• All entries must have been grown in the UK, Channel Islands, Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland, within current growing season
• No foliage can be included in the final weight or length, unless where it forms an integral part of the vegetable, such as a cabbage
• No backing paper or cloth is permitted on tap roots
• Sticks, stones, soil, surplus water or any substance that is not plant matter, must not be included in the weight or length of the vegetable
• Measurements for length are carried out by placing the vegetable on a plain surface and marking the limit of each end

• There are more specific requirements for individual vegetables, including runner beans need to be green and not dried out, while pumpkins or squash stalks cannot be more than 3 inches (7.5cm) tall

The Malvern Autumn Show takes place across three days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday - and features the giant vegetable competition as well as other events celebrating food and the countryside, including a "cake off".

For the Giant Vegetables Championship, entrants have their crops measured and weighed on Thursday.

Doors open to the main event on Friday morning, before winners are announced around midday.

It is typical at this show for multiple entrants to break Guinness World Records. They are announced on Saturday in an official ceremony.

We'll soon be learning who grew the biggest veg at this year's competition. While we wait to find out more, let's take a quick look at the prizes growers are after.

From the weightiest watermelon to the longest runner bean, there are 33 categories where keen fruit and veg growers can shine - including two children's categories for the tallest sunflower.

Here's a rundown of every category:

Judged by weight

• Pumpkin
• Squash
• Marrow
• Cabbage
• Leek
• Carrot
• Swede
• Celery
• Watermelon
• Beetroot
• Radish
• Cantaloupe melon
• Parsnip
• Onion
• Tomato
• Three onions
• Potato
• Cucumber
• Pepper
• Red cabbage
• Three tomatoes
• Aubergine
• Kohl rabi
• Three sticks of rhubarb

Judged by length

• Beetroot
• Carrot
• Parsnip
• Radish
• Cucumber
• Runner bean
• Chilli

Children's categories

• Largest sunflower head grown by children aged 5-11
• Largest sunflower head grown by children aged 12-15

Tara Mewawalla
Live reporter

"How do they even get that big?"

That’s the question my colleagues keep asking when I tell them I am covering the UK’s National Giant Vegetable Competition.

Project manager Kevin Fortey, who has been growing giant vegetables since he was four years old, has some standard and not-so-standard advice.

Kevin and his brother Gareth use solar panels, an irrigation system, and a hydroponic system – which delivers nutrients straight to the roots without soil – for growing their plants.

Once the vegetables get really big, they need supporting. Kevin shared with me that the cucumbers are protected by pairs of tights: "Suspenders at the top grip the cucumber. They’re quite long so a 20lb (9kg) cucumber needs a bit of supporting."

And tomatoes grow inside bras: "The bigger the better really... it’s just like a cradle to rest the tomato in."

Image source, Kevin Fortey