NEVER mind ‘to the manor born’, the Fortey family are to the giant vegetable growing business born.

Possibly the least surprising thing about the Malvern Autumn Show at the weekend was that the Fortey brothers from Cwmbran in South Wales turned up with the heaviest marrow ever grown in the UK.

Their father Mike was one of the founders of giant vegetable growing back in the 1980s, but he never produced anything like the monster marrow his sons transported to the Three Counties Show-ground on the back seat of their Toyota Corolla.

The huge veg weighed a staggering 12st 3lb or 77.56kg.

“It took more getting into the car than we bargained for,” said Kevin Fortey, “and it was an even harder job getting it out, but the effort was worth it.”

The brothers – Kevin works in affordable housing in Caerphilly and Gareth is a solicitor in Bristol – grew the marrow on a quarter acre plot at the back of the family home, feeding it with seaweed extract and chicken manure.

A few years ago they exhibited a previous “heaviest ever” marrow at the Great British Village Show, but that was a mere tiddler of 110lb.

“This one just kept on growing,” Kevin said.

“I think it has even surprised us.”

The Fortey family looks set to continue its horticultural record-breaking well into the next generation, as Kevin’s five-year-old son Jamie set a new UK record at the Autumn Show with the largest ever sunflower head.

The beautiful bloom measured 64in in circumference. “Jamie seems to have inherited a family knack,” said his father.

More than 60,000 visitors enjoyed autumn sunshine and end-of-season bargains at the two-day event, which saw the highest number of Royal Horticul-tural Society gold medals for 14 years awarded in the spectacular displays of the flower show.

The judges awarded 24 golds with the Best in Show going to a display of carnivorous and exotic foliage plants by Hampshire Carnivorous Plants of Southampton.

“Considering the variable weather conditions of the summer, the nurseries have done extraordinarily well,” said Bob Sweet the RHS’s head of shows development.

“I was particularly struck by how little blemish there was on the exhibits.”

The apple, pear and fruit juice section of the Autumn Show turned into a tour de force for grower Colin Broomfield, of Ombersley. Not only did he take the best in show with a tray of Cox’s Orange Pippins, but also notched up six other first prizes in the apple and pear classes.

Clives Fruit Farm, of Upton-upon-Severn, took two firsts.

Finally, and to prove taking part often counts for just as much as winning, the children of Castlemorton CE Primary School were over the moon to learn they had come third in the junior sunflower class. “They were really chuffed,” said the show’s press and PR manager Sharon Gilbert.