It has been a while since we held our Annual Banquetat the Plaisterers’ Hall, (that magnificent edifice that isa tribute to the craft of its residents), so it was apleasure to return this year on the 15th February. Andwhat a panoply of distinguished guests sat at table

for the first official function of our new Master SteveBodger. We were privileged to dine in the company ofAlderman Nicholas Anstee, The Right Honourable theLord Mayor, Sheriffs Alderman David Wootton and PeterCook, His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor,Archbishop Emeritus at Westminster, Their ExcellenciesMs Barbara Tuge-Erenćinka, Ambassador of the Republicof Poland, and Dr. Ivica Tomić, Ambassador of theRepublic of Croatia. Masters of the Worshipful Companiesof Barbers, Butchers, Farmers, Farriers, Gardeners andSecurity Professionals were in attendance as was the PrimeWarden of the Basketmakers. The Right Honourable TheLord Phillips of Worth Matravers, President of the SupremeCourt of the United Kingdom, Admiral Sir Mark StanhopeKCB, OBE, ADC, Chief of the Naval Staff and First SeaLord, General Sir David Richards, KCB, CBE, DSO ADC(Gen), Chief of the General Staff, Air Marshal Sir RobertWright, KBE, AFC, Controller, The Royal Air ForceBenevolent Fund, M. Bowron, Commissioner, City ofLondon Police, Professor J R Weinberg, Acting Vice-Chancellor, City University, Mr Richard Lambert, DirectorGeneral the Confederation of British Industry and Sir AlanReid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, and Lady Reid completedthe roll call of our very distinguished guests.The Master presented the triennial Lewis Award for

“Distinguished services to the marketing of fresh fruit” toPast Master Laurence Olins (see page 9) and proposed thetoast to Lord Mayor, Corporation of the City of London andthe Sheriffs. Emphasising the importance of the“Institution” and illustrating the ways in which theFruiterers fulfil their duties and obligations, he highlighteda number of individuals for special mention.The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor responded and

dwelt on the theme of the City’s importance as a centre ofthe financial activity and gave examples of how theMayoralty was working to ensure that it’s reputation wasmaintained and enhanced. Richard Lambert whenresponding on behalf of the Guests also focused on thesquare mile and its importance both historical and incurrent times.

NEWSLETTERThe Fruiterers’ CompanyNEWSLETTER

1

Number 67 April 2010

The Fruiterers’ Company

The Master with members of Court, Principal Guests and Partners (© Gerald Sharp)

Thursday 6 May Golf Day Kingswood GC

Thursday 20 May Audit Court Dinner Skinners’ Hall

Thursday 4 June Royal Bath & West Show Shepton Mallet

Thursday 10 June Tree Planting and Luncheon Penshurst Place

Thursday 24 June Election of Sheriffs Guildhall

Thursday 15 July Summer Court Dinner Stationers’ Hall

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

GLITTERING RETURN TOTHE PLAISTERERS

The Master with our Musketeers and Military Guests (© Gerald Sharp)

…continued on page 2

Welcome, as always, was the musical accompaniment tothe Banquet provided by the Militaire Orchestra under thedirection of Walter Appleton. Their programme concludedwith the ever popular Post Horn Galop.And so, yet another successful Fruiterers’ Banquet was

held in glittering surroundings distinguished by brilliantcompany and excellent fare.

A Glittering Return to the Plaisterers… continued

The Master shares a Loving Cup with the Lord Mayor

The Honorary Chaplain with His Eminence Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’ConnorRichard Lambert responds on behalf of the Guests

2

This was the assertion of PastMaster David Hohnen, whenhe reviewed the achieve -ments of the Master who wasconcluding his year of office

at the St. Paul’s Day Lunch held inInnholders’ Hall on the 25th January.As is customary, David presented theoutgoing Master’s wife, Fionnuala, witha floral tribute as an expression ofgratitude for a job well done. Thispleasant valediction to Alan French’syear was a fitting tribute to a man whohas performed some stirling work onbehalf of the Company and Liverymen. The day, as always, started with a

service lead by Nigel Abbott in St Mary’sAbchurch where we witnessed the newMaster and Wardens taking his oath ofoffice. We were fortunate to have theVery Reverend John A Guille, Dean of Southwell, preaching the Sermon.His theme interlinked with careerexperiences he had enjoyed relating to apples and characters associatedwith apples. These included JohnyAppleseed, St. Swithun, his time as aRector in Guernsey, (where he plantedcider apples), and finally his most recentposting to Southwell, which was thetown where the first chance seedling of

Bramley was discovered. “I dobelieve God has a sense ofhumour” he said. In 2009 theFruiterers visited the Minster forthe dedication of a stainedglass window, featuring aBramley as the ‘Tree of Life’.At the lunch, Steve Bodger

received the Perpetuates ofOffice from Alan, in a ceremonythat perpetrates our heritage.The occasion is always a happyfamily affair and is generallyover-subscribed.

JACK, YOUR BOY’S DONE GOOD!

Good Luck Master “Jack. Your boy’s done good” (Re. Jack Henleybeing the Master’s Proposer)

A prial of Past Masters

3

FascinatingFruiterers Facts14

During his researches Honorary Archivist Peter Cooper has come up with some interesting historical anecdotes – Ed.

1. Jeremiah Lear, Master in 1799 and1800, was married to Ann Clark Skerret. The twentieth of their twenty onechildren was Edward Lear the ‘Nonsense Poet’ (The Owl and the Pussy Cat etc.)

2. Sir Edmund Henry, Knight, (Alderman), Master 1879, Lord Mayor1882. His picture from time to time hangsin the Guildhall Art Gallery.

3. Sir James Whitehead, Bart., Master 1889 and 1890, Lord Mayor 1888, the painting ‘The Ninth of November1888’, that can often be seen in the Guildhall Art Gallery, shows the procession of Sir James Whiteheadpassing the Royal Exchange.

4. Sir Joseph Renals, Bart., (Alderman), Master 1895, Lord Mayor 1894.

5. Sir John Pound, Bart., (Alderman), Master 1901, Lord Mayor 1904. Sir John was a Leatherseller andchairman of John Pound & Co (manufacturer of leather cases etc) and had various shops on Regents Street,Oxford Street, Leadenhall Street, Piccadilly, Tottenham Court Road and other locations.

6. Colonel Vickers Dunfee, V.D., CC. Master 1911. The third son of Lt.Col Vickers Dunfee, Beresford CliveDunfee along with his older brother Jack, were two of the renowned Bentley Boys who raced Bentley racingcars in the 20s and 30s.

7. Sir Edward Cecil Moore, Bart. (Alderman), Master 1918, Lord Mayor 1922.

8. John Quiller Rowett LLD, Master 1921, made a fortune in the spirits business. He had a desire to do morethan make money. A school friend of Sir Ernest Shackleton at Dulwich College, Rowett was the financialbacker of Shackleton’s final Antarctic venture.

9. Sir J E Kynaston Studd, Bart., OBE., (Alderman), Master 1926, Lord Mayor 1928, was the eldest but the lastof the famous Studd brothers who captained Cambridge in successive seasons. The three famous StuddBrothers, Charles, Kynaston and George were Victorian Gentlemen Cricketers; educated at Eton andCambridge.

10. The Reverend Canon Sheppard, K.C. V.O., D.D., Sub-Dean of His Majesty’s Chapels Royal, DomesticChaplain, Deputy Clerk of the Closet, Sub-Almoner to H.M.The King and Canon of Windsor, was admitted tothe Livery in 1909 and in 1910 was appointed Honorary Chaplain to the Fruiterers’ Company.

11. Sir Joseph Lyons of the famous Lyons Corner Houses and J. Lyons tea-shops was admitted to the Livery in1894.

12. John Eagleton was admitted to the Livery in 1883 and was the Clerk of the Fruiterers’ company for forty oneyears (1890-1931).

13. John Galvin Syer was the Beadle of the Fruiterers’ Company for fifty four years (1839-1893) and it isunderstood that he saw no less than fifty seven annual Presentations of Fruit to the Lord Mayor.

14. Among the guests at The Fruiterers’ Banquet, held at the Haberdashers’ in January 1912, were five PastMasters of the Musicians Company.

4

One of the big economic issues iswhat will happen to interest rates?Usually this is the hot topic, butin recent months it has beenreplaced by reducing thebudget deficit as the keyissue. The reality is bothare important andinterlinked.There is always a

need forconsistencybetweenmonetary andfiscal policy.Ideally bothshould reinforceone another,and certainlyshould not beat odds. Overthe last year, allareas of policyhave workedtogether toaddress the financial crisisand end the recession.Interest rates have been cut tohistoric lows, sterling hasdepreciated, and liquidity hasbeen pumped into the financialsystem as the Bank of England has'printed money' through a processknown as quantitative easing. And, as we allknow, the budget deficit has risen as tax revenueshave slumped and government spending risen. Thekitchen sink has been thrown at the economy. Policy hasworked, but at a price.In coming years it is not clear how monetary and fiscal

policy will interact. But a number of factors point to theneed for interest rates to stay low for some considerabletime.First, and foremost, fiscal policy - the interaction

between government spending, taxes and borrowing - hasto focus on bringing the budget deficit under control. Taxhikes have already been announced before the election.The biggest challenge though is public spending and thatis where the focus needs to be.Spending needs to be on areas that matter. A proper

social safety net is essential; a wasteful benefits system isnot. Too often politicians do not cut sensitive areas. Thatneeds to change. The benefits system needs an overhaulof draconian proportions. Instead, money needs to beallocated to areas that benefit the economy, especially thehard infrastructure, such as roads and rail, and the softinfrastructure that boosts skills, such as apprenticeshipsand sufficient university places for those that get thegrades.While the UK’s crisis response was good, it was from a

weak position. We should have gone into this crisis with abudget surplus. We didn’t. Despite a boom generatinglarge tax revenues, we had a budget deficit, explained byfrivolous spending. Likewise, monetary policy should havebeen tighter in the good times.The lesson of this should not be forgotten when the

economy has recovered, but for now, when the budgetdeficit is being reduced, monetary policy needs to besupportive.The second reason interest rates should stay low, is that

inflation is unlikely to be a big problem. Wage pressures

will not be seen for a few years. And, ifwages are not rising, retailers andfirms will be forced to keepprices down to sell theirgoods. People will focus onvalue for money. But evenif headline inflation islow, we may see pricepressures in someareas, food and fruitbeing one of them.Although there ismuch pessimismin the UK, theworld economyis, in myopinion, in asuper growthcycle. This isdriven by aboom in China,India and otheremerging

economies.This is already leading to

upward pressure on theprices of energy, commoditiesand many foods. Increasingdemand could easily push suchprices higher. This could be a

problem for the UK, particularly ifsterling weakened further. But even

then, any rise in imported costs may haveto be absorbed in profit margins, given the

tough competitive climate ahead.The third influence on interest rates is that even though

the economy will be recovering in the year ahead, it willbe fragile, as people as well as the government repay andservice their large debt. In Japan, interest rates have hadto stay close to zero for a decade, as the legacy of theirdebt binge lingered on. Hopefully that will not happen inthe UK, but policy makers will be mindful of lessons fromelsewhere.Many savers are saying rates are too low, and this will

dent their ability to spend. Although they have a strongpoint they may have to wait. When the economy is fullyback on its feet, it would not be a surprise if interest ratessettled at a higher level than the 5% or so that wasregarded as the norm a few years back. The trouble isthat is some time away.The Bank of England will need to see how the economy

recovers, and will be keen to watch what is happeningto credit and monetary growth. Whilst we need to avoid areturn to rising consumer debt, we need sufficient banklending to oil the recovery.Hence, financial markets expect the nine person

Monetary Policy Committee at the Bank of England toboth keep rates low and signal well in advance whenpolicy is about to change. Trouble is, like probablyeveryone else, the Bank does not want to be taken forgranted. They may worry that low interest rates couldencourage speculation in the financial markets. If so, thismay influence tactics: a small rate hike cannot be ruledout in order to catch speculators off guard.Despite that possibility, it is the underlying

fundamentals of the economy that need to drive thelonger-term direction of interest rates. In my view, thereneeds to be clear evidence that the economy isrecovering without the help of previous policy measuresbefore interest rates are able to rise.

VViieewwff rr

oomm tthh

eeCCiittyy

5

When interviewed on 17th April our IndependentRetailer was in quite an optimistic mood despitethe depressed economic climate that had prevailedover the previous four months. “Trade at retail hasbeen good but I believe that the markets have

struggled somewhat – a lot of commodities have become quiteexpensive” “The long spell of cold weather throughout Europeresulted in the shortage of supplies from a number of traditionalsupply areas”. Fresh fruit and vegetables from the Mediterraneanregion were affected by uncharacteristic weather patterns thatinfluenced salads, greenstuffs and citrus. Icelandic volcano activityaffected air-freighted fresh produce and flowers during mid to lateApril but although important for the exporters, alternatives wereusually available. Particularly affected were Kenyan Flower (Rose)producers who were forced to lay off a number of pickers whichhad local implications for the population. Despite the shortagesand higher prices products continued to sell at retail. “Fresh foodin many ways is recession proof and consumers appear to sacrificein other areas before dispensing with their fruit and veg”.Vegetables, that were influenced in the late winter and early springwere courgettes, (£15 a box at peak and now£5) cauliflowers, redpeppers, aubergines, (as high as £1.60/ lb) and broccoli. It isfascinating how customers have adapted to the changes in theEuropean law regarding pricing by mass. Until the rules changed,and he could revert to Imperial measures, he used to quote pricesat a mass of 454gm (1 lb) and shoppers understood. It was whereretailers applied a number of weight categories that confusion wasintroduced into the system, and many still do to screen out theeffect of shortages and high prices he believes. One fresh stem fruit, that in 2010 has surprised our retailer of 58

years experience, has been rhubarb. He explained the conundrum.Rhubarb has been promoted heavily in recent years by celebritychefs that do have an influence on younger generations. Hedoesn’t believe that the unprecedented demand that has been feltover the last four months is solely down to the “Delia” factor,(where that well known influencer of cooking habits introduced ahighly recommended recipe earlier in the year), but that there is agrowing demand for early, expensive rhubarb. Such was thedemand that English supplies that were late had to besupplemented by “sticks” from Holland and as far away as NewZealand. Prices at retail reached as high as £2.95/lb and continued

to sell. As soon as availability built up and prices deflated (£0.50 -£0.85/lb) use dropped dramatically. “It’s as if this ‘in food’ tastesbetter and has more intrinsic health values the more expensive itbecomes – odd”!Encouragingly, he reported that English apples had sold well,

Braeburn, Gala, Russets and Cox. Bramley was also movingfluently and quality remained good. The switchover to southernhemisphere Royal Gala and Cox occurred in mid-April. Englishpears finished and although domestic Conference was still insupply he preferred the quality of Belgian. Plums from both Chileand South Africa were popular with his customers and he has beenable to retail black, red and gold varieties at £1.65/lb. He hopedthat the English growers could organise themselves in the samefashion as their top-fruit counterparts and when told that this maybe trialled this season he was in favour.Of the regular lines both bananas and melons were reported to

be a little more expensive and his customers had certainlyidentified the preference for good quality bananas. Demand forstrawberries has waned somewhat with the somewhat indifferentquality that had been experienced from Spain while the uptake ofblueberries and raspberries always fluctuates.Bedding plants and fresh flowers are a booming business.

“People in this country have never lost their affinity or enthusiasmwith the garden” he asserted. The sunny, warm weather of mid-April produced the first rush for traditional bedding plants afterAubretia and Pansies had sold well. Plants in fashion in thiscategory seem to be Geraniums, trailing Begonias and large BusyLizzies. David is enthusiastic about his ‘local’ suppliers of gardenplants and has spent a great deal of effort in cultivating therelationships.His cut-flower and other florist business are flourishing. “On

Mother’s Day we prepared and sold 300 hand-tied bouquets overtwo days” he relates with pride. “Our customers want somethingthat says more than a standard bunch of flowers from thesupermarket; they want a gift with more character”. “My girls do afantastic job”. “Their efforts have meant that we are completelybooked-up over the summer period with our wedding orders”. “Weare finding that our business for funeral, floral tributes is alsoincreasing”. “Not that more people are passing away but the wordis spreading that we provide a first class service and what weproduce is appreciated”.

Spring Sunshine and thoughts turn to the garden

FROM THEHIGH STREETVIEW

Rhubarb Mania!

Alternative vegetables are important

Hand ties, offering more!

6

REPORT FROM THE

The Fruiterers do much to promote horticulturaladvancement by sponsoring applied researchprojects, designed to produce immediatepractical applications for UK fruit growers andsecondly, to support the study of overseas

techniques which may be of value to production in thiscountry.Earlier this year, Will Sibley undertook a study of Cherry

production in Washington State, (WS), USA. Will is a PastMaster of the Fruiterers and by profession a nurseryman,grafter, horticultural consultant, writer and broadcaster andyet he still finds time to help the wider interests of fruitgrowing. He is Vice-Chairman of the East Malling Trust forHorticultural Research and a Board Member of theHorticultural Development Company. His study was stimulated by the fact that the UK produces

only 6% domestic cherry consumption on 900 acres. Thecomparison with Washington State, which has 40,000 acresunder cherry production and produces 230,000 tonnes ayear, is stark particularly as the orchards are so youthful. Inthe 1970’s 75% of WS fruit production was Red Deliciousapples. There was a conscious move to diversify production.The climate is ideal for cherries. Winters are cold andsnowy; but springs start predictably – false springs are veryrare. Summers are usually dry and hot with rainfall at a bareminimum. Soils are fertile and amply watered by rivers,although in recent years there has been a concern aboutwater supply. Great effort and investment has been made inWS to take advantage of advances in post-harvesttechnology, rapid fruit cooling and modified atmosphere

packaging. Many of the facilities have a number of hydro-cooling grading and packaging lines each producing 20tons in a 20 hour cycle.The production is supported by strong research from the

USDA and Washington State University. This approach isholistic designed to optimise the benefits of varietalbreeding, robotics in the orchard and advanced genetic andtraining systems. New varieties are expected, which will bebred for robot thinning and picking and better suited to thenewer post-harvest technology than are the currentcultivars.So where does this leave our much smaller cherry

production? Will comments that our small acreageprecludes much being spent on research and that the sizeof the typical cherry producer is such that investment inhydro-cooling facilities and dedicated grading plant is noteconomic. Our own producers simply cannot compete withthe large-scale production of Washington. However, themove already made in the UK, to supply the latter end of theNorthern Hemisphere season has been a wise marketingdecision and our future lies in producing exceptional qualityand marketing English cherries as a niche specialistproduct.

WILL SIBLEY’S WASHINGTON STATE VISIT

Sophisticated Cherry Orchards Automated, cooled packhouses

7

AWARDS COUNCIL

MICHELLE FOUNTAIN,EAST MALLING RESEARCH

The conference was wellattended by experts in insectsemio-chemicals; more than100 delegates from Europe,Canada, US, Japan, Israel,India and China were there.The attendees ranged fromstudents, to scientists, to biocontrol technology rep -resentatives. (Semio-chemicalsare volatile compounds thatinfluence behaviour; theyinclude sex pheromonesproduced by insects, and alsoplant-produced volatiles thatmay attract or repel insects.)

In addition to keynotepresentations by severaleminent scientists with a longhistory of research into insectecology, there were many talks and poster presentationsby other scientists andstudents that gave, not only abroader knowledge of theinsect chemistry, uses andtechniques, but also similarwork being carried out at EastMalling Research (EMR).

PresentationSemio-chemical research is akey part of my work at EMR. Ihave been leading on theCapsid Pheromone project(HortLINK) in collaborationwith NRI, University ofGreenwich. (‘Capsids’ are agroup of insects in the family‘Miridae’, many of which arepests of crop plants.) We havediscovered the attractivepheromone blend for Lygusrugulipennis, a major pest ofstrawberry, after more than twodecades of research by UK, USand Canadian scientistsworking on the Lygus group. I

presented this work at themeeting and the talk was wellreceived with many questionson how the research could be extended to other pestspecies on other world crops,and on possible changes and improvements to thetechniques used. Attendingthe conference enabled me topresent this groundbreakingfinding and investigate ways tocollaborate with other capsidpheromone scientists in usingthe sex pheromones formonitoring and controllingsimilar capsid species. Thereporting of our findings alsohighlighted the research andscientific abilities of EMRscientists.

Possible CollaborationsContacts were made anddiscussions had with scientistsfrom several other institutes;those that are most likely tolead to future collaborationswere with researchers from theUS Department of Agriculture,The Plant Protection Instituteof Hungary and Corvinus

University, Hungary.Examples of interesting

science were numerous andmany of the papers were ofinterest to UK horticulture,even if the species of insectdoesn’t occur here, becausethe technology was potentiallytransferable. The findings, and more, are

on the cutting edge of semio-chemical science. By fundingmy visit to Budapest theFruiterers have ensured that EMR is up to speed withthe latest developments,encouraged collaborationswith other researchers andraised the profile of EMR as aleader in semio-chemicalresearch.I would like to express my

sincere thanks to theWorshipful Company ofFruiters for funding this visitand I look forward to manyyears of resultant research andapplications that I hope will beof benefit to the UKhorticultural industry.

“SEMIO-CHEMICALS WITHOUT BORDERS”, AN INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE ORGANISATION FOR BIOLOGICAL

CONTROL, IN BUDAPEST, HUNGARY, 15-20 NOVEMBER 2009

DR XIANGMING XU, EASTMALLING RESEARCH

About sixty researchers from15 countries attended the 10thInternational Plant DiseaseEpidemiology workshop, heldat Geneva, New York. Theworkshop was hosted by theDepartments of Plant

Pathology and Plant-MicrobeBiology at Ithaca (CornellUniversity campus) andGeneva (The New York StateAgricultural ExperimentStation). In total, there were 10oral presentation sessions,covering a range of topics, andsix poster sessions.Two pathogen systemsdominated the workshop:potato late blight and grapepowdery mildew. For lateblight, several presentationsfocused on its populationvariability to infer dispersalcharacteristics, sexual rep -roduction, and forecasting. For grapevine powdery mildew,presentations focused on host-phenology-related sus -ceptibility and disease

forecasting. As expected, understandingspatial disease dynamicsreceived considerableattention, including afore -mentioned work on dispersalof potato late blight on a large scale using moleculartechniques. There were manyoral and poster presen-tations on various diseasemanagement strategies,including use of diseaseforecasting systems. Severalpapers dealt with developmentof disease forecasting modelson several pathosystems atvarious stages: development,validation, evaluation andcommercial use, includingapple Nectria fruit rot,grapevine powdery mildew,

cucumber downy mildew andapple scab. These theoretical and appliedstudies of the way pathogenscause disease in plants enablethe development of muchmore effective strategies formanaging and controllingplant diseases. Attending thisworkshop has helped us toremain involved at the leadingedge of this important area ofstudy.I am most grateful to theBritish Society for PlantPathology and the WorshipfulCompany of Fruiterers forproviding the funding thatenabled my attendance at the workshop. The nextinternational workshop in thisseries will be in Beijing in 2013.

10TH EPIDEMIOLOGY WORKSHOP, GENEVA, NEW YORK - 7-12 JUNE 2009

MASTER’S R

8

It is a very moving moment for every incoming Masterwhen he takes the oath at St Mary Abchurch on theday of the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul. One isconscious of the great privilege of taking office and ofthe weight of history. One year is but a small moment

for a Livery Company with a history of over seven

centuries. No Master is alone in what he is seeking to do.He follows a path set by the Company’s Strategy and theexample of his predecessors. We have been blessed by acontinuum of talented Masters – hard acts to follow, all! At the start of “my” year as Master, I pay special tribute

to the Immediate Past Master, Alan French. Alan put hisnatural energy and enthusiasm to very good effect for theLivery. As Upper Warden and then as Master, he harnessedthe talents of a number of Liverymen in reviewing anddeveloping our strategy and introduced the revisedstrategy last year. He also led a group of Liverymen inmaking our, somewhat belated, entry into the electronicworld by setting up our web site. In his focus oncelebrating the bicentenary of the Bramley apple, he didnot just represent the Company at the high profilecelebrations; but he also organised a considerable numberof educational Bramley plantings at Inner-City Schools andCity Farms. A good year, indeed, and all done with style!Our Company has its heart in the fruit industry; but the

fruit industry shares that place in our heart with the City. Atour Banquet in February, both the Lord Mayor and ourprincipal speaker, Richard Lambert, the Director-Generalof the CBI, spoke about the troubles of our country’s mostimportant economic activity, the financial services industry,and the need for reform.The Lord Mayor is very effective in his efforts to promote

the financial services industry and to try to make all thosewho have influence on the City to understand thatthoughtful and calm policy making is what is required toimprove governance and regulation. His speech echoedwell and eloquently the great efforts that he is making,both on the public stage and in private meetings. Hemade it very clear that this is a major priority of hisMayoralty.Richard Lambert brought a historical parallel into play.

His thesis was that the Revolution of 1688 brought new lifeto the City. The influx of foreigners who followed PrinceWilliam brought new ideas and a revived internationaloutlook to the City, which led it to overtaking Amsterdamas the world’s pre-eminent financial centre. This wasrepeated following the “Big Bang” in the 1980’s, whichopened the City up to international capital. The City nowvies with, or has overtaken, New York as the World’s largestcentre of finance. This heritage is now at risk from hastyactions, which risk driving the capital, businesses andpeople abroad to other financial centres.What, you may ask, has this history to do with us

Fruiterers? Well, thinking of our roots as a trading“Mystery” in the City in the early Middle Ages over 700years ago, the relevance is great. The international tradingculture of the City was led in those early days by the tradingGuilds, of which we were one. After all, the quick thinkingand strong commercial instinct of a fruit trader in one ofthe London Markets today is no different to that of hispredecessors hundreds of years ago and these samequalities are shared by a trader in the City’s financialmarkets today. As banking and finance developed over theLondon’s Financial Centre

Immediate Past Master Alan French at a school, Bramley planting

Master & Honorary Chaplain, St. Paul’s Day

REFLECTIONS

9

centuries, it was the financial trading that came todominate the City and trading in physical productsbecome relatively less important. The Banquet was far from being all City. One of the high

spots was the presentation of the Lewis Award for thedistinguished service to the marketing of fresh fruit. Thisaward is made every three years and I was both honouredand delighted to present this, on behalf of the Company, toPast Master Laurence Olins. Liverymen will know of hissuccess in growing his business to become one of thelargest fruit suppliers in the UK market. They may be lesswell aware of the work that he has led for the wider benefitof the industry and of others. His early adoption ofconcept orchards and his founding role in the WaitroseFoundation – to improve working and living conditions forAfrican fruit farm workers – are but two good examples.Laurence is an extremely worthy winner of this importantaward. One can hardly mention the name “Laurence Olins”

within the circles of the group of food Livery Companies(the Bakers, Butchers, Cooks, Farmers, Fishmongers,Poulters and us) without hearing of their appreciation forhis central role in the City Food Lectures. This year’slecture by Professor Sir David King, the formerGovernment Chief Scientist and former Master of DowningCollege and head of the Chemistry Department of theUniversity of Cambridge was a tour d’horizon of thedemographic and ecological pressures on the supply offood throughout the world. It was thought provoking stuffand led to a lively debate following the lecture.On the domestic front within the Company, the

Membership and Communications Sub-Committee tookthe initiative to arrange the first New Liverymen’s supperthis March. Those who had become either Liverymen orFreemen in the past couple of years or so were invited. Wehad an excellent turn out; two thirds of those eligible tocome did so. It was a very cheerful evening and gave thenewer members of our Company the chance to get toknow each other and to meet a few of the old-stagers. Ienjoyed it greatly and felt from the buzz of conversationand laughter that all had a good time. I hope very muchthat this will be repeated in future years. I have had the honour, and great pleasure, to represent

the Company at a number of City and Livery events overthe last couple of months and I shall report on these in afuture edition of the Newsletter. Our own next eventcoming up is the Battlefield Tour to the Somme in lateApril. I feel strongly, as I know do many other Liverymen,that our country often fails to give the men and women ofthe Armed Services the appreciation and help that is theirdue. We have all lived in a charmed period of history inwhich we have not been engaged in major wars; but therehave been, and are, so many conflicts in which youngpeople - and they are almost all very young – give up theirlives or are severely wounded. Our visit to the Sommepromises to be of lively historic interest. Our HonoraryArchivist, Liveryman Peter Cooper has done stirling work in

researching the fallen Fruiterers of the Western Front in theFirst World War and our tour will weave their history intothe canvas of the war as a whole. The tour is to finish witha Service of Remembrance for the Fruiterers who havefallen in all wars. More on this in the next edition!

Prof David King delivers the City Food Lecture

Informal Supper for ‘New’ Liverymen

The Lewis Award presented to Past Master Laurence Olins

10

English apple marketing sinceChristmas has been a mixtureof contrasts for domestic topfruit producers. Followingsome severe weather that

resulted in one of the coldest winters inthe last fifty years distribution and salesmay have been affected. This was notthe case and there has been much togladden the hearts of English growers.There was a concern that the recordBraeburn crop, which was very much anunknown phenomenon, may haveproved difficult to sell. In reality, with theFebruary ‘relaunch’ for the variety andtremendous support from the UKmultiples the entire crop was cleared bythe end of April, well ahead ofexpectations. A number of factorscontributed to this success, ‘Relaunch’aside, which with the media andconsumer attention generated anestimated spend equivalent to a £1.5madvertising spend. There was in additiona fluency of supply, acceptable quality,consumers were switched on to‘English’ and the weakness of Sterlingagainst the Euro and Dollar made theUK a less attractive market fortraditional, foreign, supply sources. Ona slightly more disturbing tack, therewas some evidence to suggest thatBraebun may be impacting on thedemand for Cox in the first quarter of theyear. But, despite this, Cox cleared bythe middle of April despite the strongcompetition. Market specialists believethat there is a move away from thevariety to the more modern cultivars thatare crunchier, more flavoursome andcolourful. This is a trend that has beenclearly identified over the last five years.It is not a threat but will result in Coxrepresenting a diminishing percentageof a larger marketable crop in the future.In a year for records Gala chalked upanother with the largest volume everbeing produced and marketed. Aclearance was achieved in the first daysof April. Cameo, Kanzi, Rubens andJazz, the new generation dessert applesfor English growers all showedsatisfactory and sometimes excitingadvances selling well and according toplan. Supply of Egremont Russet, amature variety, may have exceededdemand and marketers had to resort torehearsed tactics to clear successfully.Some pundits believe that the volumesof niche varieties will have to be strictlymonitored in the future.But without doubt the great success

of the current English apple season willbe regarded as Braeburn which bodeswell as production is anticipated to beclimbing rapidly over the next ten years.This will result in more fruit being

marketed in the months of April, Mayand possibly even June, accompaniedby the newer varieties. The implicationsof this development must be clearlyunderstood. Traditional countries ofsupply may find themselves competingwith English apples and pears andalready this year there is some talkamongst french producers of grubbingschemes being undertaken across theChannel. Bramley has also sold well and one of

the Country’s oldest establishedcultivars has found new licence as isbeing taken up and used by newgenerations of users and consumers.When cumulative sales of Bramley upuntil April are considered this year withlast the increase is 2.2%, not enormousbut nevertheless encouraging. Thoseinvolved with the Bramley MarketingCampaign were a little fearful that therewould be a backlash after theheightened PR/Advertising activitysurrounding the variety in its bicentenaryyear of 2009. Sales have been reportedas “flattening” in March and April butover the last four years usage hasincreased in the multiple sectors.Unfortunately, global juicing prices aredepressed and the drop in the juicedemand from Magners that one reportputs at 5,000 tonnes from 20,000tonnes is having an impact, particularlyon the Bramley producers of NorthernIreland. Demand for Bramley forprocessing is also not creatingexcitement.Stocks of English Concorde and

Comice pears have cleared which hasre-instated the industry somewhat afterthe disasters of the previous year. Theconundrum to find a successfulmarketing formula for Comice is stillbeing pursued. Volumes of Conferencewere still higher in April than in previousyears but it is anticipated that with thedemand from the UK multiples stocksshould clear without mishap within theallotted marketing period. Despite an encouraging sales

campaign there are underlyingrumblings and warnings emanatingfrom the sector which are deep seatedand genuine. A blueprint has beendeveloped by the industry that clearlysignposts future successes. Regrettably,they will only occur if the returns to the growers are adequate enough toallow replanting and reinvestment ininfrastructure. Currently this is not the case and there are those that believe fresh produce is dramaticallyundervalued. If the figures are correct33% of fresh produce purchased byconsumers in this country goes towaste. This is not an argument to say

that the cost of produce should beraised but if the intrinsic values werehigher consumers may appreciatenatural foods more.And what of the forthcoming season.

After five months with low temperaturesdormancy of trees in the UK will havebeen complete. There is a belief, amongmany, that the crop for 2010 will be of truly vintage proportions as long as there are no hostile climaticconsiderations to factor in. Let’s hopeso!!

Cameo Apples

Kanzi, an all English variety showing great promise

Jazz originated in New Zealand but grows well in England

FROM ORCHARD TO MARKETTOP FRUIT NEWS

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Berry sales at retail during January were depressedowing to the cold, inhospitable weather which is aretardant on consumer demand of fruit in thiscategory. Remarkably, suppliers coped well anddistribution was not an issue.

Spain, the most important early season supplier ofstrawberries suffered a very cold and wet spring resulting in a lotof fruit wasting through botrytis. As a consequence availabilitydropped reducing the sales momentum in store. The influencelasted for three months as Morocco, the second most influentialsupplier to the UK, suffered in a similar fashion from climaticfactors. Quality was “average” impacting on sales and it was notuntil April that the UK market started to improve. Early Englishsupplies, from under glass, were later than anticipated and didnot materialise until late March owing to low light intensities andbelow average temperatures. Promotions were mounted duringthe third week of April to stimulate demand and in conjunctionwith an improvement in quality, sales began to be stimulated.French outdoor supplies arrived in late April but it is anticipatedthat the main crop English will be seven to ten days later thanusual. Damage to plants resulting from frost will not be fullyapparent until flowering occurs in May. One feature that will bewelcomed by producers and packers is the move towards astandardisation for strawberries on 454gms. Raspberries in Spain suffered from the same weather patterns

as strawberries but frost damage will be more significant on thisfruit. Yields will have been affected adversely. Sales have been“ok” but with less fruit the volumes have obviously been down.Prices have been higher but that does not compensate for theopportunity cost. The first British glass grown strawberriesappeared at the end of the third week in April but outdoor fruit willnot be available until late May early June. Frost will not have thesame impact on British raspberries as it has on Mediterraneansupplies.It seems that hostile climatic conditions have impacted on all

types of berry supplies. A very wet spring in Mexico has influencedearly blackberry shipments. Volume supply is down interruptingsales but promotions have kept a momentum going. Spanishraspberries will start during the second or third week of May. The depressing reality of the first third of the year from a berry

marketer’s perspective was that there has been a negativegrowth on most berry fruit sales in the UK.The Chilean blueberry crop was affected by a cold, wet spring

but encouragingly the sale in the UK market was up on theprevious year. Unlike the 2009 season, there has been no

dumping of excess supplies of Blueberries on the UK market,surpluses having been diverted to the US resulting in a tightermarket. The blueberry market is static and Spanish suppliesstarted in early April. There are forecasts for an abundance ofsupply on the Market in May.A lot of space has recently been given to pineberries but they

have proved expensive to grow and will remain a modest line.Much better flavoured in most consumers’ opinions arestrasberries. Again, quite scarce but easier to grow.The stone fruit market is buoyant in the UK particularly as there

is virtually a twelve month supply of the most important lines.Galvanised by the successes of English top fruit growers there arestrong indications that the plum producers of this country aretaking steps to co-ordinate and streamline their marketingactivities. We wish them well.

HONEY AND RHUBARB POTSby Sarah Randell

Serves 4

Make the most of rhubarb while it is in season, here is aquick healthy pudding to try

200g rhubarb

2 tbsp light brown soft sugar

1 tbsp seed mix

450g Greek-style natural yogurt with honey

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Trimthe rhubarb and cut into small chunks. Tip into ashallow-sided baking dish and sprinkle over thesugar and a tablespoon of water. Roast for 10-15minutes or until tender. Leave to cool.

2. Toast the seeds in a small pan over a medium heat.They will smell toasty and begin to pop when they’reready, after a minute or so, cool.

3. Divide the yogurt among four glasses or smalldishes. Top with the rhubarb, cooking juices and asprinkling of seeds.

Soft and Stone Fruit

The English Strawberry Season has started

BERRIES and CURRANTS

Bristol Black Rasberry Rasberries were short

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On 19 March the 68th Service of theUnited Guilds of the City of London washeld at St. Paul’s Cathedral. The idea ofholding a service for the Livery Companiesand Guilds originated from a meeting heldat the Goldsmiths Hall on the 1st Feb1943, attended by the Great TwelveCompanies. It was felt that such a servicewould lift the spirits during the Blitz. Thefirst occurred on 25 March 1943, LadyDay, and has been held on or around thatday ever since. Seating is restricted butthe Fruiterers always ensure that theirallocation is filled.

FRUITERERS GATHER AT ST PAUL’S

The Master and BeaThe Fruiterers at St. Paul’s

What is the collective noun for a group of PancakeTossers?” asked Sheriff Peter Cook on ShroveTuesday as he started the 6th Annual Inter-LiveryPancake Race in Guildhall Yard. Looking at thefirst four Masters, dressed in their robes and

wearing their badges, waiting for the start of the first heat, hedeclared that the only possible term is a “Pride of PancakeTossers”. At that the Gunmakers fired their cannon to start thefirst race and the competition commenced.Organised by the Poulters Company, the Pancake Race has

become an annual opportunity for Livery Companies to showtheir speed and to enjoy Pancakes, cooked in the open air andenhanced by the delicious juice of lemons provided by usFruiterers.This year the going was “wet to dreadful” and the tossing was

slow as the steady rain made the pancakes stick to the pans. Thatis the Master’s excuse for coming last in his heat, anyway. Theother members of our team were considerably faster: JaneDoubleday in the Ladies race, Tommy Leighton in the FancyDress race (Cricket Pads and a drum on his head to symbolise theLord Mayor’s Appeal charity, Pitch Perfect) and the IPM, AlanFrench, in the Liverymen’s race. As fast as they were, we did notquite win in any category; but we decided that it is not the winningthat counts; it is the great style with which we lost!Amanda Cottrell was the team manager, who persuasively

recruited the team and organised our entry and was the creativemilliner. Ivor Robins was the generous official lemon supplier andPeter Cooper was the team photographer. The team did show that, although we did not win the

competition, we could certainly win when it really counted. On thecommand of our manager, we rushed into lunch early and arrivedthere first about ten minutes ahead of the next team. Now that isFruiterers’ style!Who actually won? We have no idea; we were too busy

cheerfully warming up with hot soup and wine, to hear! Pitch Perfect - Tommy Leighton dressed to race!

The Fruiterers’ Team

“

PANCAKE RACE

Every year the UK’s Trade Association the Fresh ProduceConsortium, throw a prestigious Dinner/Dance for the goodand the great of the industry. This has been occurring forover six decades and each year a country that is a supplierof fresh fruit and vegetables to the UK is selected, to themethe event. It is one of the first official functions that the newMaster will be invited to. Mexico was the theme nation in2010 a fact that was reflected in the cuisine, atmosphereand cabaret.

MASTER GUEST OF FPC

Fresh Produce Consortium Dinner Dance

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During the late summer and early autumn of 2009 PastMaster Donald Cryan revisited a number of trees whichhe had planted on behalf of the Company, a decadeago, when he was in office. The news on their conditionswas mixed. One had been moved, replanted, rededicated and wasthriving. Another survives, but, though healthy, is unlikely toflourish for long. Of the remaining three which were searched for,one had been uprooted in a hurricane, and the other two haddied.The One That Thrives was rediscovered by Liveryman Peter

Cooper in the churchyard of St Barthomew the Great, followingits removal from St Paul’s where it was planted on the 19thJanuary 2000. (The full story on its finding and rededicationoccurs on page 6 of the last Newsletter).The One That Survives: - In October 1999 the company

went on a visit to Washington D.C., largely organised throughPast Master Fraunfelter. That year was the bicentenary of thedeath of George Washington and at his home, Mount Vernon, theauthorities were trying to restore his well-documented orchards,but were having difficulty locating the early English varieties thatthe great man had planted. Past Master Sibley was of invaluablehelp in locating them. He also gave the gardeners master classesin grafting, which are remembered with gratitude ten years on.The then Master planted three trees to mark the event and the

company’s work. Of those, one remains standing, which was theone planted with Justice Scalia of the United States SupremeCourt. The other two sadly perished, including the one plantedwith the then Sheriff Pauline Halliday. Unfortunately, as a result ofsome recent archeological work the authorities at Mount Vernonbelieve that the gardens need to be reconfigured and the

surviving Fruiterers’ cherry tree is “in the way”, and in true GeorgeWashington fashion is due for the chop. One final irony was that until the folk at Mount Vernon were

reminded of the Scalia tree, it had been forgotten. After havinglooked for it, and having been told that it was the one in thephotograph, it was discovered that in fact it was the one on theleft, behind Dean Norton, head horticulturalist at Mount Vernon.Maybe, just maybe that one will survive.Hurricane Isabel: - On 19th September 2003, very nearly

four years after the company attended on the then BritishAmbassador, Sir Christopher Meyer, to plant a tree in thebeautiful gardens of his Lutyens Mansion Residence, HurricaneIsabel swept through Washington D.C. and snapped thecompany’s tree. Unfortunately the gardens are not as splendid asthey were and the area where the company’s tree was hasbecome rather neglected. Past Master Cryan was pleased toreport that a new and enthusiastic head gardener, John Sonnier,has been installed and discussions have been held regarding areplacement apple tree, but in a less exposed position.

WHAT TO SAVOUR!Coming up…

n If you are a golfer and enjoythe challenge of a beautifulcourse while sharing thecompany of like mindedFruiterers – then The Golf Dayat Kingswood GC on 6 Maywill be for you. Competition,companionship in the heart ofSurrey. Contact Past MasterDavid Hohnen.

n The Audit Court Dinnerwill be held the Skinners Hallon Thursday 20 May. We havenot had the pleasure of diningin this very pleasant venue forsome time. This event providesan ideal opportunity to bringyour business guests.Notification has beencirculated. Apply by May 7.n We will again be sponsoringthe Orchards and CiderPavilion at the Royal Bath &West Show held at Shepton

Mallet between Wed 2 and Sat5 June. The Fruiterers officialvisit will be on Thursday 3June. Notification has beencirculated so please apply byFriday 14 May. This is a funday out and our CompanyStand will be in prominence atthe Pavilion, acting as a focalpoint for the ‘Family Trail’. Weare looking for volunteers toman the stand throughout theduration of the show. If youcan afford some time please contact Ian Adams(01963 210717 or e-mail:iradams@googlemail.com. Heis particularly looking forvolunteers on the Wed/Fri/Satwhen free access will begranted to those Fruiterersmanning the stand.

n Penshurst Place has beenthe seat of the Sidney family

since 1552. Set in the ruralWeald of Kent little haschanged over the centuries.We will be visiting this historichouse with its beautifulgardens on Thursday 10June. There will be a tour ofthe gardens, tree planting,champagne reception andlunch. Those remaining for theafternoon may tour the house.Notification has beencirculated. Please apply byFriday 21 May.

n Thursday 24 June is thedate set for the Election ofSheriffs at the Guildhall.Liverymen who have beenFreemen for over one year are

eligible to attend this CommonHall view and participate in theelection. This is an opportunityto discharge your duty andwitness a fascinating andhistoric ceremony. Details willbe circulated shortly.

n The Summer CourtDinner will be held at theStationers’ Hall on Thursday15 July. Always a popularevent so apply promptly.Details will be circulatedshortly.

Much coveted trophies to be won

The Cider Pavillion, RoyalBath & West

Rose Garden Church ©Penhurst Place

The City dignitaries arrive

The Stationers Hall

FRUIT TREES REVISTED

At the Residence The non-Scalia Tree

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Liveryman Peter Board -man has become quite aTV regular appearing withpresenters in pro -grammes that focus onthe Holly, a tree/shrubthat he is quite familiarwith! His Father plantedHow Hill Farm with thespecies and Peter hasbecome the caretaker,

custodian and font of knowledge on a small holly orchardthat is cut for the Christmas trade. Ethnobotanist, JamesWong, a fairly recent TV celebrity, who has risen toprominence through his series where familiar hedgerowand garden plant products are used to preparehomemade medicines and herbal remedies, visitedPeter’s orchard and collection of Ilex aquifoleum varietiesand other species he has collected. The programme onBBC2, entitled ‘Grow your own drugs for Christmas’revealed the health giving properties of holly and otherseasonal floral familiarities.

BECOME TV CELEBS!

Peter & James discuss preparation

FRUITERERSTV PERSONALITY

Another Fruiterer who has put inregular TV appearances has beenWill Sibley. Few of us whoattended the 2006 Summer CourtDinner will forget the pleasantmemories of being played in todinner by the organist and hisrendition of the tune ‘I do like tobe beside the seaside’, or thepassionate and amusing speechgiven by our principal guest, thecelebrity chef, Raymond Blanc.The proprietor of the world renowned Oxfordshire restaurant andhotel, ‘Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons’, has worked very closely withour own Past Master Will Sibley, who has advised Raymond on anumber of aspects relating to fruit trees. In one of the broadcasts,in a recent BBC TV series featuring the french maître du cuisine,the focus fell on apples. Will attended in the kitchen advising onvarieties and at a separate session endeavoured to teachRaymond the finer points of grafting at EMR. The student,exhibiting his usual gallic charm and unending sense-of-humourwould keep touching, involuntarily, the freshly cut grafts, much toWill’s frustration. Eventually he got it right, and we can expect tosee trees sporting several apple varieties on the same scion in hisextensive garden.

Will teaches Raymond to ‘graft’

DON’T TOUCH THE GRAFT

We include details of accommodation offered by the Vintners’ Companyfor those who wish to stay in the City overnight after a function

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OBITUARIES

The following is extracted from thehomily prepared and read by theHonorary Chaplain at Hugh’s MemorialService.Hugh Kelsey was both a ‘Farmer’ and

a ‘Gentleman’, for not only did he lovehis farm and was completely involved inits success and smooth working overmany years, but also that in all hisdealings - with neighbours, with staff,friend & foe alike, he exhibited (right tothe very end of his life) the highestpersonal qualities to be found in “a truegentleman”.He was born 79 years ago in the

village of Wickhambreaux – in thehouse, (Wickham Court), next to thechurch and christened in that very sameparish church. He served on the ParishCouncil, was a Governor of the Schooland President of the local GardeningSociety. His family had a longassociation with the village and church.Hugh’s early life included schooling at

Oundle (where he was a member of the1st XV), rugger for Canterbury and manyother sporting activities at which heexcelled. As well as his great love ofrugby football, he proved to be an activeskier, an accomplished horseman andan enthusiastic sailor. Nothing gave himgreater pleasure than sailing hisAlbercore at Sandwich Bay which ofteninvolved him in capsizing and having topurchase yet another mast (it isreported!)!

Skiing played an important part inHugh’s early sporting life. Heencouraged his sons to ski from a youngage and, although he tried to persuadeCaroline that skiing was fun, she wasnever convinced. Eventually hepersuaded her to try a ski bike, and shetook to this version of the winter sportlike a duck to water, but it’s aninteresting point to note that ski bikeshave since been banned from use!In fact, Caroline’s persuasive powers

on Hugh seem to have been strongerthan in reverse, for it was she whointroduced him to riding when he was 35years old. It didn’t take long for Hugh tobecome a very accomplished horseman.Horses were one of the great loves of hislife, both riding to hounds, and in hislater years visiting Burghley &Badminton horse trials. Many willperhaps remember his favourite horse,‘Farm Walk’, which was completelyfearless and (without doubt) the besthorse he ever owned.Caroline and Hugh would have been

celebrating their golden weddinganniversary later in 2010. Theirs hasbeen a long, happy and lovingrelationship. Just the day before hedied, he told Paul how much he lovedCaroline, and that she was the only onefor him. And that love extended intosomething more - into such a deepfriendship which (as we all knew and hadthe good fortune to share at times)made them both utterly inseparable.Hugh also had as many as 14 god-

children, which is an indication of thelove and respect in which he was held byso many – as indeed was well illustratedby the number of people who attendedhis memorial service. Among his many interests, was his

love of music that was immense. Hisspecial interest was choral music andthis was reflected in his great support forthe Royal Opera House at CoventGarden, the Glyndebourne Festival andthe music of Canterbury Cathedral. His contribution to farming and the

fruit industry in particular was wellknown. His huge passion was alwaysgrowing apples, but he successfullyturned his talents and green fingers tomany other crops. For many years hejudged sheep and later on soft fruit atthe Kent County Show. He also wonnumerous competitions for his ownorchards and produce. It was from his interest in fruit growing

that Hugh became associated in 1990with the Worshipful Company ofFruiterers on the introduction ofLiverymen Hugh Lowe & Douglas Kemp.His loyalty to the Company and to all itstands for in the fruit industry and theCity of London was soon recognised. In2001 he became Master and set out ona very full and active year of office thatincluded company visits to English HopProducts, Spitalfields Market and theMansion House, as well as tree plantingsat Gatcombe with the Princess Royal andHelmingham Hall in Suffolk. Animportant achievement was to persuadeEnglish Heritage that Dover Castle hadonce possessed a fine orchard; andindeed it was after a tree planting at theCastle that Hugh & Caroline entertainedthe Company to a lunch at NetherQuaives, the generosity and warmth ofhospitality few of us present will everforget. In September of that year Hughled a visit to the vineyards of Portugal.“Captain Hugh” at the head of a flotillaof small boats on the River Douro will forlong remain in the memories of thosewho made that journey.To his friends and colleagues – a true

gentleman and a wonderful companion.To his family – an irreplaceable and

much loved strength & stay – a source ofwise guidance & inspiration.To his boys (James & Paul) – their

friend, confidant & mentor. How proudhe was of you both. You have said “Weare lucky to have had such a man as ourfather.”To all of us – Hugh was one whom we

shall remember always with love, respectand great kindness.

Hugh and Caroline

Past Master Hugh Byron Kelsey

Lord FiennesCornwallis OBE, DLWe regret to advise of thedeath of Lord FiennesCornwallis OBE, DL, growerand a founder member ofCheckers Ltd. Our thoughtsand sympathies go out tohis family.

COLIN RAEBURNBENTLEY DFCWe regret to advise of the death onthe 7th April of Liveryman ColinBentley DFC, a director of White &Sons who was a well known fruittrade personality from 1947 untilhis retirement forty-four years later.Our thoughts and sympathies goout to his family. Colin with his DFC

Published by The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers’; Clerk Lt Col (Retired) L. G. French, Chapelstones, 84 High Street, Codford St Mary, Warminster, Wilts BA12 0ND

Editor: Richard BrightenPrinted by DC Graphics, Drury Lane, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 9BJ. Tel: 01424 720072. Fax: 01424 434086

16

PAST MASTERLAURENCE OLINSFor being presented with theWorshipful Company of Fruitererstriennial Lewis Award for‘Distinguished contributions to freshfruit marketing’. Presenting theAward, the Company’s Master SteveBodger, said “In addition to hiscrucial role managing successfulbusinesses specialising in fruitsourced from the UK and aroundthe world, he has during his fortyyear career made an enormouscontribution to the wider industry, asdemonstrated by his work for BritishSummer Fruit and Seasonal Berries,and all his inputs as a Liverymanand Past Master of Fruiterers. He isset apart from his peers by hisextraordinary track record inmanaging a family business within arange of commercial environments,and his willingness to share hisexpertise and leadership with otherindustry organisations andsuppliers”.

PAST MASTERPETER BARTLETTPeter (pictured above) has beenelected as Vice-Chairman of theWalbrook Ward Club.

LT COL. LIONEL FRENCH -THE CLERKWe learn that Lionel has beenelected President of the Fellowshipof Clerks, an appointment that iswell deserved and will last for twelvemonths. Congratulations

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe Editor wishes to thank the following for their valuable contributions to this Newsletter. The BBC, Adrian Barlow,Jenny Bartlett, Berry World Ltd., (Dave Ashton & Emma Parsons), Peter Boardman, Steve Bodger (The Master), DavidBryant, Angela Chapple, Peter Cooper, Donald Cryan, The FPC, Lionel French (The Clerk), David Hohnen, GerardLyons, Penshurst Place, Ian Rainford (The Remembrancer), Sarah Randell, Photography, Mike Solomon and TheStationers.

CONGRATULATIONS

THE SUPREME COURTThanks to the generous help of Past MasterDonald Cryan, a visit to the Supreme Court hasbeen arranged for mid-afternoon of 5 October2010. Liverymen attending the visit will be able to

sit in on a case and then will be shown roundthe Court building. Baroness Hale ofRichmond, a Justice of the Supreme Court haskindly agreed to talk to us about the working of

the Court. This is a particularly interesting time in the development of ourcountry’s judicial system. It was only in October 2009 that the ultimate judicialauthority in the Land was moved from the House of Lords to the newlyfounded Supreme Court. Lady Hale will be able to tell us of some of theexperiences as the new Court has settled into its role. The Supreme Court ishoused in the old Middlesex Guildhall in WestminsterMore details and applications will be issued in advance of this very

interesting event.

GOULD ONAMAZON

Peter Cooper reports thata new slimline version of‘Gould’, the definitiveHistory of ‘The FruiterersCompany is now availableon Amazon – for thosethat are interested.

CITY OF LONDON BRIEFINGSFor any Liveryman who has not atten ded a City ofLondon Briefing and is in two minds whether toapply ask a fellow Fruiterer who has attended. Youwill always receive a very positive res ponsebecause the evening pro-vides an inter esting andvalu able insight into the workings of the City. Theyare aimed particularly at new Freemen andLiverymen, but wives, husbands and partners arealso welcome. Liverymen and Freemen of longerstanding who have not previously been to aBriefing are also encouraged to attend. The dates

of the 2009 briefings are given here. All will be held at the Innholders’ Hall. They are:- 13th October 2009 and 10 Nov 2010

Application for places on the Briefing should be made on a form that is obtainable from the Public Relations Office, City of London Livery Courses, Wax Chandlers’ Hall, 6 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7AD. Tel: 020 7606 3591/2, Fax.020 7600 5462 or e-mail, liverycourses@chandlers.ndonet.com

Innholders’ Hall venue for City Briefings 2009

The Court from the Balcony

FRUITERERS’ CHRISTMAS CARDSThe Membership & CommunicationsCommittee are investigating thefeasibility of producing Fruiterers’Christmas Cards. If you have notbeen approached in the survey andare interested please contact theChairman, Dennis Surgeon or PeterCooper.