The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is one of the premier events in the horticultural world, with beautiful gardens and displays competing for prizes throughout the week. We were thrilled to be asked by Cartwright Communications to use our carving skills to make a vegetable sculpture to celebrate the triumphant return to Chelsea of Medwyn Williams of Medwyns of Anglesey, whose prize winning vegetables have won him golds and red cards around the country in agricultural shows and at prestigious shows such as the Chelsea Flower Show and Hampton Court Flower Show.
As well as exhibiting and producing fantastic displays, Medwyn is a Past Chairman of the Royal Horticultural Society Fruit Vegetable and Herb Committee and is currently president of the National Vegetable Society. He’s kind of a big deal in the vegetable world.
This year Medwyn is exhibiting Y Ddraig Goch – or the Red Dragon -tomatoes, the first fruit to be officially named in the welsh language. We decided to make a vegetable carving of the Welsh flag featuring the iconic dragon to honour this first. We looked to the plant world for fruit and vegetables that would complement these lovely, juicy little red toms and decided that lush glossy red peppers and delicately orange sweet potatoes as a contrast would make the ideal dragon.
We made the vegetable sculpture in our studio in Yorkshire and the talented professional sculptor Hannah Honeywill took him down to London in time for press day at Chelsea to add the finishing touches and Medwyn’s tomatoes.
Jamie Wardley made a very sweet little sweet potato gorilla for plant nutrient specialiasts CANNA UK, this travelled down with Hannah as well.
Medwyn and his team, including his wife Gwenda, whose artistic eye has helped propel them to all those awards, made a spectacular display of absolutely perfect veg and Hannah was proud to add the dragon and gorilla. The whole display was so wonderful it earned Medwyn his 12thChelsea gold! Da iawn Medwyn!
Hannah had a great time, soaking up the atmosphere and all the positive feedback about our sculptures. She even had time to celebrity spot and saw Jo Whiley, Claire Balding, Julian Clary, Mary Berry, David Walliams, Gary Lineker and Anton du Beke admiring our dragon, to name but a few!
