Wed 9 May Audit Court Dinner Armourers’ Hall

Thu 31 May Royal Bath & West Shepton Mallet Show visit & Lunch

Thu 31 May Golf Day Kingswood

Fri 22 Jun Summer Court Dinner Merchant Taylors’Hall

Mon 25 Jun Election of Sheriffs Guildhall Post-Election Luncheon Guildhall Club

Fri/Sat/Sun Cherry and Soft Kent Showground 6/7/8 Jul Fruit Show Detling

Fri 27/ Master’s Weekend Chilterns & Oxford Sat 28 Jul TBA Garden of the Year Renishaw Hall, Derbyshire

Sat/Sun Malvern Autumn Show Malvern, 29/30 Sep Worcestershire

Mon 1 Oct Election Of Lord Mayor Guildhall

NE W S L E T T E RThe Fruiterers’ Company

w w w . f r u i t e r e r s . o r g . u k

Number 91 April 2018

Our Banquet is the first real opportunity that a new Master hasto present himself/herself in public and John Warner did it well.

It is always a privilege and pleasure to have the Mansion House asa venue for the occasion. It was revealed in the Master’s Speechthat he had once been responsible for checking that the woodenelements of the gallery, in the Egyptian Room, were fit for purpose.His job was to ensure that there would not be a collapse, whichwould be an embarrassing experience for the diners below.

There was a glittering list of honoured guests. It included MrAlderman and Sheriff T R Hailes, (representing the Lord Mayor), MrsFiona Adler, His Excellency D Ally, High Commissioner of theRepublic of Seychelles, Baroness Byford DBE DL, The RightReverend T Willmott, Bishop of Dover, The Rt Hon The Lord Burnettof Maldon, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, The Rt HonLady Justice King DBE, the Rt Hon the Earl and Countess ofCaithness, Commissioner I C Dyson, Commissioner City of LondonPolice, Rear Admiral M P Briers, Director Carrier Enabled PowerProjection, Lieutenant General T B Radford CB DSO OBE,Commander Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, Air Vice Marshall WJames CBE RAF, Air Officer Commanding No 22 (Training Group),Masters of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, Farmers, Gardenersand Prime Warden of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers.

Before speaking and proposing a toast to the Lord Mayor and

Master with our Musketeers and their Guests

Our Master with the Company’s Principal Guests Master and Wardens

The Banquet

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

City of London Corporation our Master presented Tim Biddlecombewith the triennial Matthew Mack Award.

Addressing the assembled company the Master wondered howa humble engineer could enter the preserves of the City Grandeesbut felt deeply honoured to be chosen to be Master of a LiveryCompany. He placed consider able emphasis on the Fruiterers’dedication to charitable giving mainly via the Awards Council. Hehighlighted support for educational research within the FruitIndustry and Nuffield Farm Scholarships. The Company hadchosen, he revealed, to be headline sponsor at the Fresh CareersFair. On a personal note he had selected ‘Booted and Suited’, a

charity that assists those from dis ad van -taged backgrounds to dress appropriatelyfor interviews. In addition we will besupporting the Lord Mayor and the City atthe ‘Big Curry Lunch’ where donationsreceived will be distributed to veterans’charities from the three armed forces.Ignoring the golden rule of speech making,he listed those he wished to thank who hadmade the organisation of the Banquet sospecial. “I refer, of course, to our Clerk forhis organisational skills and ability to copewith ever changing demands from allquarters, and whose wrath I will incur byover running the time he has allocated me”.“To the Clerk’s wife Wendy for all her help,Richard Felton for the flowers, Livery manPeter Thomas for providing the fruit on thetables, the Militaire Orchestra, directorWalter Appleton, for the music, ourToastmaster Jamie Wallis for keeping us inorder, the Mansion House caterers CH &Co. for a wonderful meal, the MansionHouse team led by Duncan Sparkes, and ofcourse, our Beadle Ted Prior without whomI would probably still be standing outsidelooking lost”!

We were entertained by Sheriff Haileswho delivered a well-constructed andcarefully thought out speech when replyingto the Master’s toast. He commenced bysaying that “listening to the Master’sdetailed descriptions of the historicalweaknesses of the hall timbers, I fullyunderstand why the Lord Mayor has senthis apologies”. Continuing, he admitted

that a Fruiterers’ function was one that hehad been hoping to gate-crash during hisyear. This was not only because the menuwould receive the approval of his doctor butwould also prevent him from ending theyear with a bad case of scurvy. Sheriff Hailesthan went on to reveal the many reasonswhy he was so pleased to be in attendance.Describing the Fruiterers’ approach as“refreshing” and “progressive” he contin -ued by giving examples of how we preservetraditions while constantly having our eyeson the future. He levelled criticism atcertain elements in the City, some banksand pension funds, who had not behavedin a trustworthy fashion since the financialcrisis. These detractors from the LordMayor’s theme “were letting us down”.Referring to the guests of our Musketeers,he said, “I think we need look no furtherthan to them for an illustration of how it ispossible to link past and present, adaptingto the times, despite huge challenges whileremaining relevant throughout”. Hedescribed the fashion in which theFruiterers had rescued the Iford Cherry,

using it as a metaphor of how fragile,beautiful and critically endangered objectscan be saved and allowed to thrive in the21st Century. He drew his address to aconclusion by offering thanks for ourhospitality and by saying “I am delighted tobe here with you to celebrate your bountifulpast and your undoubtedly ripe future”.

Responding on behalf of the guests,who had been proposed by Past MasterHenry Bryant, we were fortunate to haveBaroness Byford. She is a Conservativemember of the House of Lords and servedas Opposition Spokesman for Food,Farming and Rural Affairs from 1997 to2007. A fellow of the Royal AgriculturalSociety she is therefore well versed in allmatters relating to the land and its usage.Her speech touched on experiences shehad encountered during her visit to anumber of agricultural shows and prod -uction locations. On one occasion she had

been presented with a basket of cherries.This generous gift posed somewhat of alogistical problem as she journeyed backfrom London to Leicester by train.Fortunately the load was lightened by agrateful fellow traveller and ticket collectorwho were delighted to consume some ofthe fruits. She presented the Master with abottle of wine from the Winbirri vineyard inNorfolk, which she had visited recently. Thewine had won the prestigious ‘DecanterWorld Wine Award’ in 2017 against 17,200other entries and had been voted bestsingle white wine.

The general consensus of events wasthat our Master’s triple theme of fruit,fellowship and fun had prevailed. Held in arelaxed atmosphere and pervaded by anambience of unity and comradeshipliverymen left feeling fully uplifted in body,mind and spirit.

2

Banquet – continued

Sheriff Tim Hailes responds

Dinner at Proof House

Sharing a 'Loving Cup'

Baroness Byford our Principal Speaker

A toast to the Lord Mayor, City of London

Corporation and Sheriffs

Honorary Assistants’Dinner

During the evening of Thursday 12thApril, the Master, Wardens, four Past

Masters, the Clerk four Honorary Assistantsand Four Honorary Assistants Elect sat downto dine at Proof House - the home of theWorshipful Company of Gunmakers. Thisannual event is designed to allow free andopen discussion on matters of consequenceto the Fruiterers, in a somewhat more relaxedenvironment. As always, the ambition wasachieved. The Gunmakers provided a hospit -able reception and excellent fare. Surroundedby weaponry of every description, the Ass ist -ant Clerk, Mr Andrew Bignold, provided aninteresting introduction to the Company andexplanation of the important work of ‘proofing’that is undertaken within the building.

Honorary Archivist

The Company’s Holy Bible which can beseen at St Mary Abchurch on St Paul’s

Day will be known to all who attend CourtMeetings.

Its origin, however, is perhaps less wellknown. But a glimpse inside the front cover,would reveal that almost sixty years ago itwas presented to the Company on St Paul’sDay, 1959, by Sir Clayton Russon OBE (inset

picture). He had been Master of the Companyfor the year 1957 and bestowed the gift asa token of his affection for the Livery.

Sir Clayton also presented the Companywith a magnificent George lV silver gilt,campagna shaped cup and cover lid andbody with applied fruit ing decor ation androot scrolled handles with leaf rims on acircular foot.

His obituary in The Times in April1968 rep orted that Sir Claytonwas "a classic example of aman who through sheer doggeddetermination created from tinybeginnings a vast, highlyrespected business." His firstimport ant venture was theacquis ition of the seed and plantbusiness of R and G Cuthbert. This,greatly aided by his wife, he built up intoa thriving mail order house with a finereputation for quality and keenprices.

He was one of the most consistent andpersistent advertisers in the field ofhorticulture.

His ‘Mr Cuthbert’s’ column in the TimesNewspaper became an institution with thegardening community; the 1680th issuebeing published the week before his death.From its first appearance Sir Clayton wrotethe chatty introduction to his special offerspersonally.

Sir Clayton Russon was without doubt aprominent and successful man in thebusiness world.

He became fully involved in the life ofWales and in 1944 became the firstchairman of the North WalesIndustrial Society and its President in1947. He was High Sheriff of

Merioneth shire in 1947-48 andagain in 1965-66. Hetook a prom in ent part in

the est ab lish ment of theLlan gollen Inter nationalEisteddfod and was its

first president in 1947.He was chair man of the Comm -

ittee for National Savings inMerionethshire from 1939-1947 and

was honoured for this work by the awardof an M.B.E. in 1946 and an O.B.E.in 1952. In 1958 he was President ofGŵyl Gwerin Cymru and a memberof the Empire and Common wealthGames Committee and was that

year knighted for his contribution to thepublic life of Wales. He served on theCouncil for Wales from 1949 to 1963 andwas chairman of its panel for the promotion

of tourism. He was a memberof the Wales Dev elop mentCorporation from 1958 to1963 and a chairman ofseveral seed comp anies andof the Phostrogen Companyin Corwen. From 1960onwards he served as anofficer of the Order of St.John, becoming Comman derin 1962 and Knight in 1968.

A memorial service for Sir ClaytonRusson was held at St Mary Abchurch on23rd May 1968 which was attended by theMaster Fruiterer and Wardens together withmany other friends and business associates.

Source of information: The Times Newspaper and

The Dictionary of Welsh Biography

Sir Clayton Russon OBE, Master 1957

George IV, Silver Gilt,

Campagna shaped Cup

The

inscription

Not a Flop but a Flippin’ Success!

The Fruiterers Company are proud tohave participated in the Shrove

Tuesday Inter Livery Pancake Race since itsinaug uration fourteen years ago. The eventwhich is organised by the Poulters’Company in collaboration with the Cookand the Butler is held in Guildhall Yard.

This year under the direction of Livery -man Susan Handy a very competitive teamwas assembled to represent the Company,together with additional support andapplause from fellow liverymen for theMaster and his Team.

However, due to the continued non-stop rain, the organising committee, forreasons of health and safety deemed the

course as ‘too slippery’ and took an earlydecision not to run the traditional “PancakeRace” but switch to a “Pancake TossingCompetition” which proved to be a“Flippin’ Success” for the Fruiterers!

Not deterred by the cold and dampconditions, Apprentice, Elliott Porter dressedfor the Novelty Category as Banana Manwas in “Flippin’ Good Form”. He won hisheat and went on to achieve a very crediblethird position in the overall event.

Following the excitement of thecompetition, participants and supportersmade their way to the Guildhall Crypt toenjoy a mug of delicious hot soup, a tastylunch and pancakes of course for dessert!

The Master would like to thank NewSpitalfields Ten ants Association for provid -ing the “Lemons” which the Fruitererscontribute to the success of the event andof course a huge thank you must go to SueHandy for her team management.

But whether Flippin’ or Watchin’, theMaster wishes to thank all members of theLivery for their participation, together withtheir enthusiastic support and encourage ment.

Fruiterers' Team ready for Pancake (Flippin')

Competition

3

4

It is a decade since the 2008 global financial crisis. That crisis ledin 2009 to the only annual contraction in the world economy

since the Second World War and also brought the banking systemto its knees, to then be bailed out by taxpayers. It also ushered ina period of prolonged monetary stimulus.

Interest rates were slashed, money was printed, and for a while,words such as “unconventional monetary policy” and “quantitativeeasing” were heard regularly on the news. Now things arechanging. The focus is on when central banks will exit and reversetheir cheap money policies and how financial markets and worldeconomy will cope.

Central banks such as the Bank of England have been the shockabsorber for the world economy over the last decade. Now a bigworry is that they might become shock creators.

The path of interest rates and quantitative tightening - in whichthe printing of money is reversed - will vary from country to country.The US has already begun raising interest rates, hiking themgradually over the last two years, and is set to tighten further. TheUK, also, has started to raise rates, but whereas the Americans haveincreased rates four times and by a total of 1%, the UK has merelyreversed the 0.25% rate cut implemented soon after the result ofthe June 2016 Referendum. Meanwhile, the European CentralBank and Bank of Japan are still providing stimulus, helping therecoveries that are now well underway in the euro area and Japan.

While the policy profile will be determined by what happens ineach country, the global backdrop remains positive. The questionis whether this will continue? Many economic indicators in the firstthree months of this year have been good. Perhaps mostencouraging has been the stabilisation in the Chinese economyand stronger profile seen across most emerging economies. Thesenow account for a far bigger proportion of the world economy,hence their improvement is welcome news. Also the US economyhas been strong, helped by the President’s tax cuts.

Also encouraging has been the strength in world trade over thelast year. However, recent worries about a trade war havedampened some of the enthusiasm about its sustainability.Meanwhile businesses appear more confident about investment.There has also been solid jobs growth in the US, UK, Germany andJapan and a significant improvement in France and across partsof the euro area, where unemployment is now falling from highlevels. All this is welcome news.

But there are worries. The performance of financial markets inthe first few months of this year suggests greater future volatility.Monetary growth has slowed across a number of countries,including the UK, where it is now growing at half the rate of a yearago. Weaker monetary growth can sometimes be a harbinger of a

slowdown in the economy.Another issue is whether

higher inflation will reappear?There is still intense globalcompetition. This, plus newtechnology, is forcing firms to keep prices down to stay competitive.Although inflation is low, it is worth keeping an eye on oil prices asRussia and Saudi Arabia are trying to push these higher, and oncommodity prices, as China recovers. All this feeds into food pricestoo. But the big test will be what happens to wages. I think therewill be some upward creep in this area. And this may now finallybe happening in the UK, where wages have remained stagnant forsome time.

The UK economy slowed last year, bucking the global trend.After growing by 1.9% the economy slowed to 1.8% in 2017. Thisyear, I expect this growth rate to accelerate towards 2%, which isbetter than the consensus which expects only 1.5%. The outlookwill depend upon the interaction between the fundamentals, policyand confidence.

The UK’s economic fundamentals point to a solid performanceby manufacturers and exporters this year, helped by the strengthof the world economy. The fall in the pound following the June2016 Referendum has also helped improve competitiveness.

I thought a weaker pound was good news, and was longoverdue. It was also needed to rebalance the economy as the UKhas a large trade deficit. Unfortunately, the pound is now startingto strengthen again as the predictions of Project Fear are beingproved wrong, and as it becomes more likely that a trade deal willbe agreed between the EU and UK later this year.

Another factor that should help the British economy this year isconsumer spending. Last year this suffered as inflation rose sharply.Now inflation is decelerating, having fallen to 2.7% in February fromits November peak of 3.1%, and I expect this to continue.Meanwhile, the tight labour market, where employment is at an all-time high, is leading to faster wage growth. As a result, by thesecond half of this year, wage growth should be outstrippinginflation, boosting spending power. Much will depend uponconfidence - not just of households but of businesses too, whoremain worried it seems by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. Iremain positive about the economic impact of Brexit. But it is notjust about leaving the EU but what you do once you leave. But sofar, so good.

Dr Gerard Lyons is the co-author of ‘Clean Brexit’(Biteback publishers) and is a Liveryman.

City Perspective

View from Overseas

The whole subject of BREXIT has be -come something of an all-consuming

issue for many in the UK, and not just in thehorticultural sector. Hardly a day goes pastwithout some new angle or discussion inthe media about what sort of BREXIT wemight be heading for and how quickly thismay happen.

At the Oxford Farming Conference heldin January, Michael Gove, the Secretary ofState for Environment, Food and RuralAffairs, set out a bold new vision of howagriculture and food in the UK might look.He gave an optimistic view of the role ofhigh quality, environmentally sensitive, andcompetitive food production, with an industrymaking full use of the new technologiesavailable to it. He also indicated continuedfinancial support to farmers for at least theforeseeable future.

This was all widely reported in themainstream and farming media and manyseemed to be pleased with what he hadsaid. What wasn’t mentioned quite soregularly was one of his closing comments,in that this is all open to discussion andconsult ation in the spring of 2018. So,nothing is set in stone at this stage.

The comments of a subsequent speaker,Professor Dieter Helm from Oxford Univer -sity, a top-ranking UK economist, have alsobeen overlooked by the media. He pointedout that at just 0.7% of the UK’s GDP, it wasunlikely that agriculture would be the topissue for the UK government to think aboutwhen the real crunch comes on BREXIT inMarch 2019.

However, what is clear for the horti culturesector is almost regardless of the type ofBREXIT we end up with, the issues of accessto labour and the question of market accesswith the rest of the EU, are still critical ones.There still seems a good deal to play for. Itis inconceivable that organisations such asthe NFU, AHDB and the Fresh ProduceConsortium will not be lobbying hard onthese issues over the coming months.

So, while in the UK the debate overBREXIT will continue, it's worth consideringhow other parts of the world might beviewing this issue. The UK is probably oneof the most international markets on theplanet. Produce is sourced from the rest ofthe EU, as well as a number of other

countries, internationally. What happens here in the UK post-

BREXIT will have implications for them all,the extent of which is unknown.

Based on the work Promar has carriedout in the value chain around the world andthe insight this has given us, it seems thata number of key themes might emerge.

For countries in the rest of the EU, suchas Holland, Spain, Italy, France andPortugal, the UK is an important exportmarket for a wide range of fresh produce. Itis highly likely that the growers andexporters in these countries would want tosee a relatively soft BREXIT whereby theystill have fluent access to the UK market interms of both tariff and non-tariff barriers.

But it is well known that all of thesecountries are evaluating new export marketsin areas such as the Middle East, Africa andSE Asia. In the mid-to-long term, theimportance of the UK as a key exportpartner, may be downgraded. This wasbeginning to happen, with an increasingamount of produce being shipped to Russiabefore the trade ban was imposed by theSoviets on the EU in 2014.

So, in the short term, it is likely that otherEU growers and exporters would still wantreasonable access to the UK. The real issuehere is the noises that are being made bythe political heavyweights across Europe.On one hand, saying that they want aconstructive finale to the BREXIT talks. Onthe other, indicating that the UK cannot beseen to leave the EU in a better positionthan it is now. The main concern of EU andUK growers and exporters during the inter -vening period may be the lack of clarity overwhat might be the final outcome of BREXITand the uncertainty that this creates.

In other parts of the world such as LatinAmerica, Oceania and South Africa, the UKhas been a prime export market for manyyears. However, over the last 10 years andmore, there has been a strong effort todiversify exports to new markets, especiallyto India, SE Asia and the Middle East. Insome cases, the Russian market is still opento them. It is likely that all of these countrieswill need to negotiate new trade arrange -

ments with the UK. In a number of cases,they will already have a free tradeagreement with the EU. The simplest thingto do would be to re-vamp the details of thisto allow trade to carry on with the UK in arelatively uninterrupted fashion.

Countries such as Peru and Chile havedeveloped a high degree of expertise innegotiating free trade deals with other partsof the world. They have demonstrated theycan achieve this relatively quickly. Almostcertainly they will want to use this expertiseto sort out new arrangements with the UK,but at the same time, have other prioritiesin emerging markets to contend with too.

The UK, although still important, mightnot always be the top priority. Growers andexporters in Central America, especially forbananas, are also no strangers to thevagaries of accessing the UK and EUmarket over an extended period of time.

The question of BREXIT will continue todominate in the UK over the next 15months and beyond. In other parts of theworld, the issue will be bought in to sharperfocus as time goes by, but in some cases,might not be the number one priority todeal with. And there are still wider issuesbeyond access to and from the UK marketfor all growers and exporters to contendwith. These include the consolidation of thesupply chain and the development of sust -ainable and resilient trading arrangements.

Piece provided by Liveryman JohnGiles, a divisional director of Promar

International john.giles@genusplc.com

Michael Gove at the Oxford Farming Conference

What will be the effect on imports?

5

What does BREXIT mean forthe rest of the World?

FROM ORCHARD TO MARKETTOP FRUIT NEWS

None of us can have failed to beaware of the protracted winter

that has endured since November. Wetand cold climatic conditions that havedampened the spirits as well as theground. Neither will the fruit trees andas we go to press very little blossomhas been seen throughout the entirecountry. It is going to be a very lateseason although on the positive sideheavy budding is reported. What isneeded now is an elevation intemperature and some days ofsunshine to accelerate the ‘wakening’process.

As reported in previous Newslettersthe crop of 2017 was light, not just inEngland but throughout Europe. Thisresulted in a higher price structure whichdid not compensate entirely, as manygrowers had a much lighter crop due to theeffects of frost. English apples are in realitysold out with depleted stocks beingavailable in a trickle until June. This is insharp contrast to twelve months ago whendomestically produced apples featuredstrongly into the summer months. Bramleywill be available but in diminishingquantities and that is mainly due to thelarger crop in Northern Ireland. Britishretailers have continued to reflect thedemand of their customers and havestocked ‘English’ heavily.

A post mortem of this closing Englishseason will record a dessert apple crop thatwas 11% down overall. Braeburn will havebeen a major disappointment but Galafared better. Those growers with areasonable crop will have experiencedsatisfactory returns. The Russian ban on EUproduce has created congestion in somemarkets.

Interestingly Comice volumes weredown by 30% but Conference tonnagesrose from the previous year by 40%. Quite

a contrast, that is attributed tothe different bloss -

oming timesand as a

consequence their susceptibility to frost. Inaddition, there are a number of newConference orchards coming intoproduction.

A labour issue has been widelyhighlighted with many growers reportingthat the number of returning overseasworkers has reduced. The strength ofSterling, or rather lack of it, and hostility incertain parts of the countryare possible causes. Theseare seasonal labourers andnot migrants. Governmenthas to make its position clearon this issue and quickly.Some large fruit growingbusinesses have alreadytaken the decision to movetheir operations overseas.

The loss of appropriatetreatments to combat com -mon diseases is anothermajor concern amongst thegrowing fraternity. And whilemany natural biologicalreplacements are being res -earched the programme will requiresubstantial funding and it is finding thefinancial resources that is provingproblematical.

Considerable evaluation into the nut -ritional values of fruit has been undertaken.Understanding has moved on dramaticallyin recent years but determining how theconstituents influence human metabolismrequires far more research. How can thepositive elements in natural food beboosted to improve the health of those thatconsume them?

Sir David Attenborough’s latest TV series‘Blue Planet 2’ has thrown the spotlight

firmly on plastics and the disastrouseffects that the universal, cavalierdisposal tactics of the material arehaving on the planet. Fruit growers andpackers use plastics to protect andenhance presentation to the consumer.It is blatantly apparent that alternativeswill have to be found to satisfy thedemand for packs using less of thematerial.

Funding must also be made availableto accelerate the growers’ ability tomechanise production and packing.This is particularly critical if the pool ofseasonal labour continues to shrink. A

recent report has come up with theconclusion that the global ‘ArtificialIntelligence in Agriculture’ (AIA) marketcould increase by almost 25% in the nextsix years. Driving the develop ment are theadoption of information managementsystems (IMS), automated irrigation,increasing crop productivity and the everrising global population. The AIA Market issegmented into technology, offering,

application and region. Tech nology isfurther divided into machine learning,computer vision and predictive analysiswhich is forecast to be the fastest growing.

Although many English growers areadopting the new systems and thinking asquickly as possible, it will be several yearsbefore they are universally applied in theseislands.

2018 will be a late season for apples andpears in the UK and possibly heavy. It isessential that the industry maintains thelevel of PR and advertising support that hasgiven such success and growth ofawareness in the last ten years.

6

Conference escaped the ravages of frost last year

2018 will be a late season in the UK

A fine

English

Braeburn in

a difficult year

VIEW FROM THEHIGH STREET

Chatting with the Newsletter’s corresp -ondent, the editor was pleased to learn

that supplies of fruit and vegetables wereuninterrupted during the inclement weatherearlier in the year. Over the past four monthsproduct has flowed smoothly and in goodcondition. David Bryant did add however thathis customers were becoming increasinglydiscriminating when it came to quality andflavour. Fortunately his level of waste over theyear is measured at less than 0.5% butconsumers are being bombarded by so muchmedia coverage on the subject that they arebecoming increasingly sensitised. The import -ance of adding flavour and natural, beneficialside effects to the fruit and veget ables that weconsume is also mentioned on page 6. Oneof the edible barometers of Spring is the arrivalof Jersey Royal potatoes. Unfortunately for theislanders the season is late with reducedvolume. Our proprietor further added thatplant sales were down with gardeners beingkept inside.

Lidl has revealed it is considering creatinga Deposit Return Scheme. This will allowcustomers to return their plastic rubbish to thestore, aiming to drive demand for recycledmaterials and reuse systems. The move is partof a wider commitment to reduce plasticpackaging by 20 per cent by 2022, with 100per cent of its own-brand packaging to berecyclable by 2025. The Comp any will alsoditch all 5p plastic bags, replaced with reusablebags by the end of the year. This is similar tothe closed system that Tesco boss Dave Lewisdescribed at the City Food Lecture.

According to a report app earing in theFarmers Guardian, UK con sumers have morethan halved their proportion of weeklyexpenditure on food. The figures havedropped from 33 to 16 per cent since 1957,according to the Office for National Statistics.Alongside having a much greater choice offood items and living in smaller households,British people have higher disposableincomes and have elected to spend themoney on luxuries, such as foreign holidays,leisure and cars, according to KantarWorldpanel. Increasingly busy lifestyles havecreated a drive for convenience influencingwhere consumers shop and what they buy.The nation has also switched to shopping atsupermarkets, leading to a decline in localbutchers, greengrocers and milk deliveriesand the competitive retail environment haskept prices low. As a consequence morefarmers have been supplying formalised retailand as a result have become subject to pricepressure.

Amazon is looking at ways it can generatemore cash from consumers through its‘Pantry’ delivery service by establishing it onsubscription. According to one source it willcharge $5 in the US but deliveries will be freefor those spending over $40 per order. Thecharges for the UK were not cited. There’s noreal expectation that this will increase thenumber of customers using Amazon Pantrybut would appear more of an effort toencourage regular ordering and a way toextract money from those who order lessfrequently. If you don’t subscribe then the oneoff delivery cost will increase to $7.99 soAmazon will increase revenues whether youopt to subscribe or not. Subscription fees arealways a nice way for a company to increaserevenues as the money disappears from youraccount even if you’re on your summerholidays and don’t use the service. The otherupside is that as with ‘Prime Subscriptions’,once you’ve committed, you’ll want to get asmuch value as possible from your comm -itment and will be likely to order more regularlythan before, the report suggests.

7

Amazon Pantry

Quality and flavour are becoming more

important

In recognition of the vitally positiveinfluence he has exerted on the UK fruit

industry, Tim Biddlecombe was presentedwith the Matthew Mack Award by our MasterJohn Warner at the Banquet, held on 22nd

February in the Mansion House.Early in his career Tim worked for ADAS,

managing R&D at the National Fruit Trialsat Brogdale near Faversham in East Kent.After a spell as an independent consultantTim then joined the new advisory teambeing set up at East Kent Packers, whichwas later spun off as the Farm AdvisoryServices Team, known as FAST.

He spent the rest of his career working asa fruit advisor for FAST, rising through theranks to become the Managing Director.

The man was always interested in R&D

and cultivated close relationships withleading researchers and growers home andabroad. He has played a major role insearch ing out, trialing, developing andintroducing the key elements that have ledto a turn-around in the fortunes of the UKtop and soft fruit industries.

Notable successes have been theintensification of orchards, the move to soil-less cultivation of soft fruit under protectionand table-top production of strawberries, allresulting in significantly higher yields,returns and profits.

Tim Biddlecombe receives the Matthew Mack Award

Tim Biddlecombe receives the Matthew Mack Award

It was my great honour and privilege to beinstalled as Master on St Paul’s Day and, as

our new Honorary Chaplain (The VeryReverend Mark Bonney) said in his sermon, Iam the latest in an unbroken line stretchingback to 1416 when “John Gaunt and GeoffreyWhyt were sworn as Wardens of the‘Mysteries’ of the Fruiterers”. (Page12)

A week later I represented the Companyfor the first time. I was entertained, along withseveral other Masters of Livery Companies, byCity, University of London at one of theirGraduation Ceremonies in the BarbicanCentre. We processed and regressed in fullregalia together with the gowned academicsand the new Rector – the Lord Mayor.

It was wonderful to see so many enth us -

iastic young people revelling in their achieve -ments with their whole future before them.

The first “social” event of the year was theannual Pancake Race, (Page 3) appropriatelyenough on Shrove Tuesday, organised by theWorshipful Company of Poulters and held inGuildhall Yard. I had promised to participatein the Masters’ Race but as a walker not arunner - even this level of exertion was notneeded as the course was deemed too wetand the race was reduced to a pancaketossing contest. Apprentice Elliott Porter wonin the Novelty category, dressed appropriatelyenough as Banana Man, and came a verycreditable third in the Grand Final.

My next official engagement was a Dinnerat Coopers’ Hall as a guest of their Master.

Coopers’ Hall is relatively small, so it was avery cosy and convivial evening.

The first time I acted as Host rather thanguest was at our Banquet in the Egyptian Hallof the Mansion House on 22nd February. TheAldermanic Sheriff Alderman Tim Hailes, theSheriff’s Consort Fiona Adler, together withBaroness Byford, the High Commissioner ofthe Seychelles, the new Lord Chief Justiceand the Commissioner of the City of LondonPolice were among many other distinguishedguests. I invited Past Masters of several otherLivery Companies as my personal guests andnone had managed to gather such aglittering array to grace the top table at theirevents! (Pages 1 & 2).

At the Banquet I was privileged to presentthe Mathew Mack award to Tim Biddlecombe(Page 7) for his services to the industry. Theacknowledgement of excellence in this way isan important aspect of our Company that isoften overlooked.

People like Tim make a huge contributionto the industry and it was my pleasure torecognise this on behalf of the FruiterersCompany.

As you may well know my “motto” for theyear is “Fruit, Fellowship and Fun” and I thinkthat the Banquet exemplified this. Fruitfeatured not only in the baskets for thetraditional Fruiterers’ Desserts but also in thevases and as a wonderful display on thePoupart Stand on the top table, this wasremarked upon by Sheriff Tim Hailes in hisspeech.

Next was the City Food Lecture. Now an

Mortarboards high on Graduation Day The Fruiterers' master with Liveryman

Jonathan Choat at the CFL

The Worshipful Company of Gardeners’ garden

at Guildhall

8

Taking the Oath in St Mary Abchurch

Promotion of Excellence

annual event the keynote speaker this yearwas Tesco’s Chief Executive, Dave Lewis. Thiswas followed by a panel discussion and theproceedings were concluded with a summingup by HRH The Princess Royal (Page 13).

Next I attended, on your behalf, the open -ing of the Gardeners Company memorialgarden in Guildhall Yard, part of theircontribution to the Lord Mayor’s Big CurryLunch before moving on to a gathering atMansion House to meet the Mansion HouseScholars. As a Company we donate arelatively small amount to this scheme, butthe outcomes are amazing. I spoke to severalformer scholars and all said that they couldnot have achieved their academic successwithout their grants – again we are helping topromote excellence.

One former scholar in particular stuck inmy mind. He was from Uzbekistan and, whenI was joined by a representative from theBakers Company, he brought the talk roundto his astonishment at the amount of breadthat we waste in this country. He said that inhis homeland bread is considered such a vitalstaple that it is never wasted. He amazes hisCity colleagues by always stopping to pick upany abandoned sandwich he spots on theground! This echoed part of the Food Lecturewhere the matter of food waste featuredstrongly. Apparently about 80% of food wasteis generated in the home – an appallingstatistic. Tesco no longer advertises 2 for 1offers as it believes that this leads to one itembeing thrown away!

The next day, Mavis and I were back inMansion House, this time for what may wellbe the highlight of my Master’s year. We werethe guests of the Lord and Lady Mayoress fortheir Banquet for the Masters and their

Consorts of every Livery Company. Itis an amazing display of Pomp and Ceremonywith members of the Honourable ArtilleryCompany and the trumpeters of the Heralds.We were told that they were playing, for thefirst time in public, the new trumpets that areto be used at the Royal Wedding later in theyear.

The following day was the United GuildsService in St Paul’s Cathedral. This is probablythe most colourful event in the Liverycalendar, perhaps even more colourful thanthe previous evening as the Masters arearranged one behind another either side ofthe aisle, with their Clerk and Wardens to theirsides, all fully gowned and badged.

After the service, 21 Fruiterers and theirguests adjourned to Stationers’ Hall for awonderful lunch, again fellowship at its best.

Immediately after lunch Mavis and I got ona train to Cumbria for the World MarmaladeFestival. This is organised by one of ourLiverymen, Jane Hasell McCosh, in her home,Dalemain (some of you may rememberJane’s garden won the HHA/Christies Gardenof the Year a few years’ ago and we planted amedlar tree in pouring rain). This time itsnowed!

I duly presented the Fruiterers’ Trophy forThe Best in Show. The winner was JaniceMiners from Cornwall, whose deliciousGrapefruit and Gin marmalade scooped thecoveted prize. This marmalade will be madeby Thursday Cottage (part of the TiptreeGroup) and it was good to see their MD Hon.Asst. Chris Newenham together with PeterWilkin, Amanda Courtauld, William Parry and,of course, the Renter Cheryl Roux inattendance.

Many of us, including the Mayor of

Yawatahama (a town in Japan which is to holdits own Marmalade Festival next year),together with the Japanese Ambassador andDeputy High Commissioner of India andPaddington Bear(!), were then taken toPenrith. They have really taken the Festival toheart with the High Street being closed andeverything being decked in orange. There iseven a competition for the Best DressedWindow. It was a delight to watch thedignitaries doing the Salsa and trying to walkthe tightrope!

Next I had to judge marmalade producedby the “Legals” versus the “Convicts”. All thelatter were made by descendants of trans -ported prisoners. It was a dead heat brokenonly by a tiebreak where the unanimousdecision that the best of the six marmaladestasted was made by a “Legal”. It turned outthat our judging was consistent with the“professional” judges as the same marmaladehad received maximum marks in the maincompetition.

A Black Tie Dinner in the candle lit DiningHall of Greystoke Castle concluded the day.

The next day we braved the snow to attendDacre Parish Church where I read the secondlesson.

What a week!I hope you approve of my effort to

represent you, even after this short time I havelearned how we, as a Company, are held insuch high esteem among not only otherLivery Companies but by the Lord Mayorhimself. We really do “punch above ourweight” and it is a great privilege to be yourMaster.

Mansion House Scholars

Janice Miners with the Fruiterers' Trophy for

her 'Grapefruit & Gin' marmalade

The Party in a very cold PenrithSome of the entries

9

10

According to the Newsletter’s corr esp- ondent, it has been a particularly difficult

four months for those involved in the soft fruitbusiness. There have been problems encoun -tered in most areas of production that hasresulted in shortages of supply.

After Christmas, availability of EgyptianStrawberries tailed off early but because ofadverse weather conditions, Moroccan andSpanish supplies from the western Medi terra -nean were delayed. Quality also suffered anda peak from these areas is now antici patedtowards the end of April. The UK season willalso be late because of the low temp er a turesand general lack of sunshine. As a conse q -uence volumes have been lower and priceshigher. With the multiples reluctant to alter retailtickets the only variable that is available is packmass. This feature has been used regularly.

A similar pattern has influenced Raspberrysupply. There was a dip in availability duringJanuary but that has been extended owing toinclement growing conditions in the mainareas of production. Over the period underconsideration Mexico is the main source ofBlackberries. Tupi is the principal variety fromthis origin, which lacks the dessert charact -eristics that consumers are coming to preferand which are exhibited by some of the newercultivars. Meanwhile a Dutch, company, TheGreenery, has announced that it has investedmore in blackberry production and incorpor -ated new growers in an endeavour to make thefruit a twelve month choice.

Blueberries were supplied from SouthAfrica during the Christmas period and intothe New Year. But with a delay in Chilean fruitthere were insufficient volumes to satisfy thegap between demand and supply. It has beena struggle to fulfil programmes and the delayin a container vessel can have disastrouseffects. What is not generally realised is thatfrom harvest to shelf availability in the UK, thetransit time from Chile is a full six weeks.

Northern hemisphere Blueberry availability hasbeen delayed. Whereas in a normal year therewould be fruit from Morocco and Spain byMarch there has been a hiccup this year. Themain supplies will not materialise until lateApril or May.

In the high street the ‘discounters’ aremaking an impact in respect of sales whileTesco has pursued a policy of dealing directlywith the growers.

On the seasonal labour issue it is the resp -onsibility of the growers to provide acc ept ableand desirable accommodation and recreat -ional activities to attract the workers. Obviouslythere are other factors but in a short supplysituation it will be the employers who offer thebest deals that will end up with the crew.

Focusing on the stone fruit front, New stairs,part of AG Thames, has announced the arrivalof several new, early season varieties. A whitefleshed cultivar of peach bred in Australia,Alpine Delight and Spring Flame 20. A spokes -man for the Company said that it was planning

to launch new plum and cherry varieties all ofwhich should deliver flavoursome fruit, yieldingwell in the orchards and giving consistentlyhigh quality on the retail shelf. But spare athought for the stone fruit producers ofMurcia. One authority estimates that around8,000 farms covering 27,000 hectares are indanger of being abandoned after their ownerswere not able to recoup even half theproduction costs. This followed a collapse inmarket last summer. This area of Spain, is oneof significant stone fruit production, (estimated390,000tonnes in 2017), and supplies muchof Europe. The causes have been cited as thecollapse of the European market, Russian vetoon EU fruits and vegetables, rising productioncosts, water shortages and inadequate marketregulation policies. In contrast, a warmingclimate should assist UK stone fruit producersto raise their expectations in the future.

Piece prepared after interview with Dave Ashton, Procurement

Director, Berry World

Soft and Stone FruitBERRIES and CURRANTS

Raspberries and strawberries from the Western

Med have suffered

Blueberries from traditional sources

are late

Many Spanish stone fruit growers are

considering abandoning production

Apple sultana cakeServes 8-10

450g dessert apples350g plain flour, sifted1 tbsp baking powder2 tsp ground cinnamon200g butter, softened and cubed150g light muscovado sugar2 large eggs100ml milk100ml Amaretto200g sultanas

To finish3 small, red-skinned dessert apples2 tbsp runny honey

Preheat the oven to 180C. Core, peeland chop the apples into 1-cm chunks.

Tip the flour, baking powder,cinnamon, butter, sugar, eggs, milk andAmaretto into an electric mixer and beattogether to combine.

Fold in the chopped apples andsultanas.

Spoon into a 23cm x 6cm deepspringform tin that has been lightlybuttered and base-lined with bakingparchment.

To finish, core and thinly slice the 3 red-skinned apples. Arrange theslices, slightly overlapping, on top ofthe cake in concentric circles.

Put the tin on a baking tray and bakethe cake for 11/2 –13/4 hours until risenand golden, cover with foil towards theend of cooking to avoid over-browningif necessary.

Warm the honey in a small pan,brush all over the top of the cake. Coolin the tin. Sarah Randell

Motivated by the Master’s motto“Fruit, Fellowship and Fun” a

highly energetic and enthusiasticteam from the FruiterersCompany, among whomwere the indefatigable App -rentice Elliott Porter andHonorary Fruit Porter JimmyHuddart, were seen in actionsupporting this year’s LordMayor’s Big Curry Lunch atThe Guild hall on Wednesday11th April.

The Lunch supportsmem bers of Her Majesty’sArmed Forces and Veterans whohave served in Iraq and Afghan -istan through the British Army’snational charity ABF, The Soldiers’Charity and from 2018 in associationwith The Royal Navy and Royal MarinesCharity and The Royal Air ForceBenevolent Fund.

The luxury products of RoyalWarrant Holder “Tiptree” drew theattention of HRH Princess Eugeniewho was attending the event andtook time to browse the stalls ofmany Livery Companies.

A magnificent display of fresh produce,which was built on a traditional marketbarrow by Liveryman Peter Thomas, wasgreatly admired by the Princess who alsospoke with Liveryman Susan Handyreminiscing the days when she had attendedSusan’s School of Dance.

The Master Fruiterer John Warner and hiswife Mavis together withthe Upper WardenCheryl Roux and Past

Master Henry Bryantwere also presentand added theirsupport for whatproved to be a

highly successfulday for all of thoseunder the “Fruit -erers’ Umbrella”.

The Master ext e n -ds a personal thankyou to the Liverymenand mem bers of theirfamilies, along withthe followingcom panies fortheir participationin this mostvaluable cause:

Belazu Ingredient Company, New Spital -fields Market Tenants Association, Pink LadyApples/Coregeo Ltd, Prescott Thomas Ltd,Rodanto Ltd, Sue Handy School of Danceand Tiptree / Wilkin & Sons Ltd.

The Lord Mayor’s Big Curry Lunch 2018

Jan Hutchinson led the Spitalfields group

Jim Huddart with some pretty serious

protection provided by some very cheerful City

Police

HRH Princess Eugenie receives some pointers

from Peter Thomas

Master with Mavis

Sue Handy with her dancers

Jim Huddart,

Elliott Porter and

Peter Thomas

Kate & Peter

Thomas with Escort

11

Renter Warden

with Past Master

Henry Bryant

Thank you Dennis and welcome John

12

Peter Cooper receives the

'Master's Medal' for 2017

St Paul’s Day has always been a social andsociable occasion for the Fruiterers. The

formalities surrounding the importance ofappointing a new Master at the comm enc -ement of the Company’s year, has beenlightened by the renewal of acquaintanceshipsand the pleasure experienced in the completionof another successful Master’s term. While thefoundations for the next twelve monthsstewardship were being formally recorded atthe Court Meeting, Janet Surgeon hosted aninformal pre-service reception in Harry’s Bar,adjacent to St Mary Abchurch.

As the last official functions in the outgoingMaster’s calendar, the St Paul’s Day Service andLuncheon are occasions for sadness and yetjoy. Certainly with the rousing hymns andchoral renditions resounding around theancient Wren Church one cannot help but bemoved by the solemnity and yet, spiritualsatisfaction. The service was led and thesermon given by our own Honorary Chaplain,the Very Rev Mark Bonney. He oversaw, alongwith the Clerk, the swearing in of John Warner,an engineer, as the successor to DennisSurgeon. Cheryl Roux assumed the role ofUpper Warden while David Simmons, a fruitgrower, was appointed as the new RenterWarden. With mind and spirit refreshed therefollowed the usual short, sharp walk the fewhundred yards to the welcoming warmth of theInnholders’ Hall for lunch.

We are always made most welcome at thisCollege Street venue. The resident Beadle andhis staff ensure the perfect ambience for ourfamily affair. Under Philip Brown’s directionthe arrangements were to their usual highstandard and we Fruiterers enjoyed, after afirst class meal, listening to Past MasterPeter Bartlett acknowledging and praisingthe outgoing Master’s achieve -ments. These were many andvaried. But selected forspecial mention were the tripto France and the SummerCourt Dinner. It was notedthat Dennis had att end -ed over 180 functionsor events during hisyear in office. Through -out his twelve monthshe has been steadfastlyand loyally supported byhis wife Janet who was

presented with a spectacular bouquet of flowersby the orator. In response, our outgoing Masterpaid tribute to those who had assisted himduring his year. Firstly, was Janet followed by ateam of “close Past Masters”, the Clerk and ahost of others too numerous to mention.Nobody at the luncheon would have beensurprised when he presented the ‘Master’sMedal’ to Past Master Peter Cooper for hisdedication and support since the previousJanuary. There were his contributions in hiscapacity as Honorary Archivist, procurer oflemons for the pancake-day races, jointorganiser of the Red Cross Christmas Market,Fruiterers’ directeur des operations, for the LordMayor’s Big Curry Lunch and for his regular

Newsletter articles. Dennis’ final duty asMaster was to pass the symbols ofoffice to his successor and to receivehis Master’s Jewel. And so endedanother successful Fruiterers’ StPaul’s Day celebrations. A renewal, a

beg inning and the anticip at -ion of what will unfold

during the next twelvemonths. And as ouroutgoing Master

had said in the open -ing of his valed ictoryspeech “nothing hasgiven me greater

pleasure and pride thanin serving as the Fruiterers’Master”.

Fruiterers gather at St Mary Abchurch

Incoming Master, with Wardens

The Innholders did us proud

Dennis' valedictory speech as Master

Dave Lewis, the chief executive officer ofTesco, was the 16th headliner at the

annual City Food Lecture and, while hisaddress contained few surprises and plentyof platitudes, he did end by urging both thesupply chain and its customers to combinein the interests of “heavy duty, trans form -ational change”.

Interesting introducing himself to theaudience as “the new boy” who joined Tescojust three and a half years ago, Lewisadmitted that in the previous 27 years whilstat Unilever, he had never fully grasped the“vast interaction of the food supply chain”.While calling for a step-change in the way weproduce sust ainable, affordable, healthy foodfor the UK, he was also quick to acknowledgethat Tesco has, in the past, been a big playerin creating the problems it is now attemptingto solve with its suppliers.

Recognising that he had as many detract -ors as supporters within an audience offarmers, producers, retailers, wholesalers andtheir representative bodies, Lewis asked themto help him and his org an isation to right theindustry’s ship by focusing the debate on“the 95% of what we agree on, not the 5% wedon’t.

“I don’t have a political bone in my body,”he said, “but I see Brexit as a chall en ge andan opport unity. The UK food industry hasdone a great job of feeding the nation throughmany chall enges,” he con tinued. “But the

challenges we face todayare complex and

evolving. To over -come them, wemust seize thefuture and change”.

“Not simple in -

cremental change, but heavy duty trans -forma tional change. The sort of change thatmeans we all have to bring our expertisetogether and work in a very different way. Tofeed all of our nation, in a sustainable,affordable, healthy way.

Lewis said he believes that the food supplychain will rise to the challenge: “I believe inthe power of human intellect and ingenuity[in this industry],” he said.

“I believe customers want businesses tomake responsible decisions. Quite rightlythey deserve higher standards and respon -sible leadership from all of us. They want usto make the right calls on their behalf.”

Lewis observed that at its very roots, Tescoremains a trader and is therefore “buyingthings that our customers need and wantand making a very small margin as we doso”. There was a fair degree of mirth in theaudience at that comment, and Lewis added:“At Tesco, we are trying to change. What wedo is not enough and it will never be enough,but we are trying in several areas.”

He pinpointed a concerted attempt tomove away from “confrontational relation -ships” and for Tesco taking a more flexibleview of suppliers in order to become a hometo larger proportions of its suppliers’ availablefood.

He also highlighted areas where Tesco isalready working in partnership with suppliers,Government and other organisations tocollaborate more effectively, share insightand expertise. These included work that hasled to the removal of 9.4 billion caloriesfrom Tesco shopping baskets in “the lastfew years” and initiatives including LittleSwaps, which com pares the health attributesof two shopping baskets with the aim toinspire customers to make health -ier purchasing choices. “All of ourprom otional money goes into the

healthier options and sinceit was launched lastMay, Little Swaps has

made the single largest impact on shoppers’baskets at Tesco that we have ever made,”said Lewis.

On the issue of food waste, he mentionedthat just 1% of waste is generated by retailers,though this “fact” was disputed by suppliersin the room, who claimed that Tesco and itsretail counterparts have introduced manifoldmeas ures into the supply chain that haveincreased waste. “More than two-thirds offood waste in this country occurs after it isbought, but that 1% needs to be eradicatedtoo,” said Lewis, adding that he is willing toshare the business model adopted by Tescoto reduce its waste levels with the rest of theindustry.

“I can’t go back,” he added. “We arewhere we are. But some of the innovationwithin our supply chain means that we areable to use product much better and reduceour waste phenomenally.”

As has now become tradition at the CFL,this year orchestrated by Fruiterer John Giles,a panel discussion, chaired by fellow FruitererChris White, was followed by an eruditesumming-up by HRH The Princess Royal.“The standards we take for granted as beingthe best in this country are going to bechallenged [post-Brexit]. What we do notwant is to suffer from product pulled in fromelsewhere that has achieved similar stand -ards but at lower cost.

“We all need to have more control of whatwe do and why we do it; it’s a com -

plicated process,” she said. “Butthere’s an App for everything!”

Piece provided

by Liveryman Tommy

Leighton

Tesco chief makes plea for transformational changeHRH The Princess Royal was escorted by Liveryman John Giles Chris White chaired the discussion

Dave

Lewis

delivered

the lecture

HRH The Princess

Royal provided her

oobservations

13

Awards Council

The Company through its AwardsCouncil was the headline sponsor

(£5000) for the recent Fresh Careers Fairheld at the Kia Oval on Thursday 8thMarch

Much of the money was used tosupport students’ travel to the Fair;around 700 of them came from collegesand universities from all corners of the

country to meet representatives from theexhi bitors many of which had jobvacancies on offer. Some were filled onthe day.

Eleven Fruiterers including the Master,Past Masters, Liverymen, Apprentices andthe Technical Secretary engaged withmany of the students to discuss opport -unities and careers in the fruit and freshproduce industry.

At the same time students wereintroduced to two competitions that wereconceived and organised by the Company.

Over 60 students registered theirinterest in competing for one week’s fullyexpensed internship with either BerryGardens or G’s; the Awards Council ismost grateful for the enthusiastic andgenerous sponsorship of each of thecompanies. Applications, which closetowards the end of April, will be assessedby representatives of each business and

it is hoped that the winners will beannounced in the next Newsletter.

This year applications for Company’sStudent Prizes (two undergraduate prizesand one for a Masters student - £1000each) have been opened to more than 55attendees at the Fair. This is in addition tostudents from our nominated collegesand universities. Applications close at thebeginning of May and will be judged byLiverymen Eve Mitleton-Kelly andProfessor Geoff Dixon together withmembers of the Awards Council.

The Fair, expertly organised by LindaBloomfield and Emma Grant fromPhoenix Media Network Ltd, was anenormous success. It has grown year onyear and so much so that for 2019 theorganisers are seeking a larger venue.

The Fruiterers’ Stand

Past Master Sandys Dawes advises

two interested visitors

Fruiterers drive students to acareer in the fruit sector

Progress report: Apples in a warmer climateReceived from the University of Reading

Under 30s Award

14

We are very grateful to theWorshipful Company of

Fruiterers for your generoussupport, which is facilitatingground-breaking research intoclimate change and foodproduction in the UK.

Recipient of the PhDstudentship is Tobias Lane.Tobias is from a small village inHampshire. He showed a keeninterest in horticulture from anearly age, showing fruit andvegetables at local shows andworking his own allotment bythe age of thirteen.

In 2012, he graduated fromthe University of Reading witha first class honours BScHorticulture and Environ mentalManagement and five prizes tohis name – a fantastic achieve -ment for any student, but

especially so for Tobias whowas the first in his family toattend university.

Before assuming this post,Tobias was employed by theUniversity as a HorticulturalCrop Technician, where he wasresponsible for the manage -ment of the trial plot areas andof external business researchcontracts there. His PhD issupervised by Professor PaulHadley, Professor Richard Ellisand Dr Matthew Ordidge, all ofthe University’s School ofAgriculture, Policy and Dev -elop ment and Trustees of theNational Fruit Collection Trust(NFCT). Mr Tim Biddlecombe,of the Fruit Advisory ServicesTeam also provides supervisionto the larger project and serveson the board of the NFCT.

Over the last 4 yearsAndrew played an instru -

mental role in improving theknowledge and understandingof pests affecting soft andstone fruit crops. As a result,the Berry Gardens agronomyteam were able to implementnew and improved pest anddisease control measures. Hisnext challenge is to replicatethe successes from pestmonit oring to diseasecontrol in soft and stonefruit.

As an Ecology gradu -ate, Andrew led a team ofseasonal workersfrom 55 sitesthrough out theUK, trappingand monitoringan invasive pest

of soft fruit. He works withresearch groups to advancethe control of pests and diss -eminates information relevantto the Berry Gardens growercommunity. His enth usiasm for Insect Ecology, theimplementation of trappingtechnologies, pest monitoringand identification enabled himto give immense support to

highly successful IntegratedPest Management prog -rammes which have beenimplemented by BerryGardens’ growers.

Andrew Barclay;

the first under 30

Award Winner

15

Obituary

Laurence spent his entire working lifeinvolved with the fresh produce

industry. He left school at 15 and beganhis career by selling sacks of potatoesfrom a pony and trap around thestreets of Epping, Essex. His app -rentice ship was served in his father’snursery where he stoked the ovens andfrom where he delivered cucumbersand tomatoes to Spitalfields market.

The next step was the purchase ofan Essex Potato Merchants Licence.This enabled him to secure productfrom throughout East Anglia which hedelivered to the London markets.Establishing a retail business in EppingHigh Street he then decided to buy astand in Spitalfields Market. This camein the form of B. W. Bookers, VegetableWholesalers.

During the 60s and early 70s, beforethe rising influence of the supermarketsthe thrill of trading produce and standswas exhilarating for Laurence. Oneopportunity arose when James Ruane,one of the trade’s premier importersand wholesalers decided to sell out. It was acquired seamlessly and newdoors were opened in the areas ofimporting and processing facilities. Heembarked on buying trips to Cyprusand the Canary Islands sourcing early

new potatoes and carrots. Some of hispurchases did not deliver success. Heremembered with discomfort hisdabbling in the import of Indian onions.

The second important contactobtained from Ruane’s was theiraffiliations and associations with thecrisp industry. In the early 1970sworking closely with United Biscuits(KP Crisps) and Smith Crisps (Walkers),the Company grew its potatowarehouse merchandising business to30,000 tons per annum. This wascentred in Doncaster, South Yorkshire,with supplies being sourced fromCatterick in the north to NorthWalsham in Norfolk. With his distinctivelivery of red, green and gold, Laurencetook great pride in the Eldred colours.He and his son Richard identifiedopportunities in logistics andestablished ‘The Pallet Network (TPN)’a Company that flourished and grew.

Warehousing and property wereequally close to his heart. Trading fromthree industrial estates in Yorkshire theEldred Group services the rail, chemicalindustrial, engineering and powersectors, as well as many importingbusinesses.

Work was a pleasure for Laurenceand he couldn’t understand why

anyone wouldn’t want to work sevendays a week. On Boxing Day 2017,instead of watching Doncaster Roversplay football in the company of hisfamily, he decided to visit the three sitesin Yorkshire for a tour of inspection. Inparticular, he wanted to view his new40,000 sq ft, high bay, rackedwarehouse to see whether he couldidentify any build faults.

Laurence was a proud man. He felthonoured to serve as ‘HonoraryPresident’ of the Spitalfields MarketTenants Association. He also took greatenjoyment in being ‘Life President’ of the North Weald Bowls Club,competing in more matches in his 90thyear than ever before.

He entered the Fruiterers in 1989.Laurence passed away peacefully on

his 90th birthday, our sympathies areextended to his family, colleagues andfriends.

Tom suffered a fatal heart attack onOctober 17th. He had not been in

full health for some time and we sendour sympathies to Julie and allmembers of his family.

His family had been in Old CoventGarden Market for many years and heextended the business in the earlyseventies by the purchase of DownsFarm in Ewell. Having some availabletime, and being a keen golfer, hepurchased Silvermere Golf Course in1984 and later Kingswood Golf Club.

He was an ardent supporter ofcharitable work and became associated

with the Variety Club. He was awardedthe OBE for his work.

The Company was most fortunate inhaving his support for our GolfingSociety which had been formed by PastMaster Robert Sice and Past MasterDavid Hohnen. He invited the Society tohold its annual Golf Day at Kingswoodand generously donated the green feesand subsidised the ‘Half Way Hut’. TheEvent continues and his family arehoping that it will do so in future years.

His passing is a big loss to the Liveryand we record our thanks for hissupport and participation since 1987.

Laurence Vivian Eldred

Thomas Albert Hilliard

Published by The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers: Clerk, Lt Col Philip Brown, 3, Parsonage Vale, Collingbourne Kingston, Marlborough, Wiltshire, SN8 3SZ

Editor: Richard BrightenPrinted by Typecast Colour Ltd, Hop Pocket Lane, Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6DQ. Tel : 01892 838382. Email : info@typecast.co.uk

16

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Editor wishes to thank the following for their valuable contributions to this Newsletter; Dave Ashton (Procurement Director, Berry World)Adrian Barlow, Lt Col Philip Brown (Clerk), David Bryant, Sarah Calcutt, City, The London University, Dr Graham Collier (Chairman Awards

Council), Dr Rosemary Collier, Peter Cooper (Past Master & Honorary Archivist), Gerry Edwards, Martin Eldred, John Giles, Jane HasellMcCosh, David Hohnen (Past Master), Tommy Leighton, Dr Gerard Lyons, Neill O’Connor, RHS, Ian Rainford (Honorary Remembrancer),

Past Master Dennis Surgeon, Gerald Sharp Photography, John Warner (The Master), Mavis Warner and Sarah Whitworth.

Gerry Edwards

Apprentice James

Bradshaw – the last

before Journeyman

JamesBradshaw

JamesBradshaw

was indenturedat St Paul’s DayCourt as thelast Fruiterers’Apprenticeunder the

current scheme.His Apprentice

Master, LiverymanNigel Bardsley wasin attendance. Infuture, it is planned

to re-designate theposition as‘Journeyman’. Weextend a welcome andour best wishes toJames.

Letters to the EditorIf any Liveryman has observations, criticisms, ideas or thought regarding theNewsletter then the Editor would enjoy receiving them. Email rbrighten@gmail.com

For any Liveryman who has not attended a City of London Briefingand is in two minds whether to apply ask a fellow Fruiterer who hasattended. You will always receive a very positive res ponse becausethe evening provides an inter esting and valu able insight into theworkings of the City. They are aimed particularly at new Freemenand Liverymen, but wives, husbands and partners are also welcome.Liverymen and Freemen of longer standing who have not previouslybeen to a Briefing are also encouraged to attend. It is necessary toattend one of these briefings, held at the Livery Hall, 71 BasinghallStreet, Guildhall, before being clothed in the Livery. The dates ofthe 2018 briefings are given here:-

They are: Monday 21 May 2018, Monday 8 October 2018, Tuesday 20 November 2018

Application should be made atwww.liverycommitteecourses.org.uk

City of London Briefings

Congratuations

Congratulations to Liverymen Dr Rosemary Collierand Gerry Edwards for being awarded the

prestigious Veitch Memorial Medal. The presentationoccurred at the Royal Horticultural Society’s PeopleAward Ceremony held on the 14th March. The Medalmay be awarded annually to any person, of anynationality, who has made an outstanding contributionto the advancement of science and practice ofhorticulture. It is held for life.

Rosemary & Gerry

This year's

Medal

Winners