Eye-watering sized onion 'sets new world record' at Harrogate show

A gardener's enormous homegrown onion weighing in at almost 9kg is set to have broken a world record.

The eye-watering sized vegetable, grown by Gareth Griffin from Guernsey, was displayed at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show on Friday.

Weighing a whooping 8.97kg (19.7lb) it outweighs the previous world record which weighed 8.4kg (18.68lb).

Show organisers said the onion's status as the world's largest was subject to verification by Guinness World Records.

Alongside the onion, colossal cabbages, mega marrows and big beetroots were also judged during the North of England Horticultural Society (NEHS) Giant Vegetable Competition.

It's one of the perennial favourites among the show's visitors as competitors display their oversized crops in the hope of taking the coveted title of heaviest or longest.

Paul Proud's cabbage, parsnip, carrot, beetroot and cucumber emerged triumphant in their respective categories.

Meanwhile, Chris Parish took home a prize for his giant pumpkin, which weighed 102kg (224lbs).

The Harrogate Flower Show, which runs twice a year - in April and September, draws in thousands of visitors to Newby Hall and Gardens near Ripon.

The show also featured designs by floral artists, including one called the Blooms Of Deception, inspired by Agatha Christie's tales of intrigue and suspense, which was displayed on the same day as the British author's birthday.

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