Schoolgirl gardening guru makes it a double as crowds stream into Higham's horticultural show
She has scooped a horticulture show’s trophy for the Best Junior Gardener for the second year in a row.
Penny, 9, who has her own 125 square metre allotment – it was a gift from Santa - retained the coveted trophy after entering an assortment of vegetables in 13 different categories in Higham Ferrers Tourism’s annual Horticultural Show.
Penny became something of a gardening star last year when, following her success at the horticultural show, she was filmed working in her allotment by the BBC.
This year, as before, she grew everything herself for the horticultural show and the public, who streamed into the event at the town’s Chichele College at the weekend, were particularly impressed with her prize pumpkins, which she grew from seed.
Her first prize entry in the “silly-shaped specimen” class showcased Penny’s crooked carrots, which the proud schoolgirl explained was the result of planting them close together, so that they grew around each other.
“I got various awards for my beetroot, tomatoes, cucumber and leeks and entered more categories this time than last year. Yes, I am proud of myself,” she said when quizzed after the judging.
“Didn’t she do well,” her proud Mum, Keeley said, just before her daughter received her trophy, which will now be inscribed with her name for the second time.
Another local schoolgirl, eight-year-old Freya Goold, scooped the trophy for the Best Junior Baker with her buttery biscuits, while her mum, Elaine, claimed the title of Best Celebration Cake on Show with her attractive prize-winning banana bread.
One new section – knitted and crocheted flowers or vegetables - also attracted attention and the trophy for the Best Crafter went to Ena Mackness, who is in her 90s, for her crocheted flowers in a vase.
Dominic Mitchell won two trophies - for the Best in Show and the Best Fruit - while first prize for the Best Vegetable went to James Gell and the Best Flowers trophy went to Brenda Lofthouse. Sue Foster won the cup for having the Best Preserves and Ruth Bond again clinched the trophy for entering the Best Floral Art.