We had 46 varieties to buy by the tuber (20 organic this year!), collected from Julian`s team for East Anglia`s Potato Day two weeks earlier and picked up by Jane, Vic and Ron with Growing Together`s truck.

What a day! We sold out of 21 varieties this year! Couldn’t get what you wanted? Come earlier next year! We’re going to add the variety Mozart in 2017.

Friday 26 February, pm: Prepared the polytunnel with welcome help from Annette, Vic, Mike and Graham A – brushed tables off and jiggled about; set out cardboard/blue plastic trays; set out labels (prepared by Graham O-R) and emptied out the potatoes, which we had earlier stored in the sales hut with the gazebo from Leigh Town Council. It got really cold later on, just before we finished.

We were also delighted to meet Jeff Barber, the Eastern Region representative for The National Allotment Society, who brought a good amount of allotment promotion material with him, despite a tricky journey down from London by train and bus. http://www.nsalg.org.uk/about-us/

Saturday 27 February, 8.30.am: gazebo put up at the polytunnel entrance to protect Jeff and Danielle; Graham O-R, Mike, Gill, Carole, Vic, Ray (onion sets, potato fertiliser) and Jane as early helpers; Growing Together`s café, raffle, tea and cakes in the Cheryl Centre set up and the potatoes placed in the oven, urns hot. Then people started to arrive early…

There was a really good atmosphere again, weather kindly, but cold: lots of buying, chatting, networking, eating, raffling, laughing and singing by Growing Together’s own Rob and Alan What a good day, but didn’t that cold wind blow as we started to clear up?!

So thanks to all who make such an event happen and people who come and show that it is a needed event. Many spuds there be next year!

We shall be selling what’s left at the next Leigh Farmers’ Market and at Group Night; otherwise at Growing Together, both at Westcliff and Shoeburyness.

With grateful thanks to Kamil for taking the photos…