| Where: | Ovington, Northumberland at the Ovington Social Club and Malvern, Worcestershire at the Three Counties Showground |
| When: | Ovington: First Friday in September or last in August; Malvern: a weekend late in September |
| Time: | Ovington: 7 pm - 9.30 pm; Malvern: 9 am-6pm |
The pot leek has been grown and shown competitively for many years, with a stronghold amongst the mining communities of North East England, giving the pitmen some fresh air outdoors in their hard-earned leisure hours. Though some have disappeared from the calendar over the years there are still plenty of them around in which competitors strive to grow the biggest and heaviest examples, often centred around Leek Clubs and Working Men’s Clubs, where members can share tips on the cultivation and care of the vegetables as well as an opportunity to socialise. Rivalry can be intense, partly because the prizes on offer historically were very generous, adding spice to the contest; hopeful horticulturalists have been known to sleep at their allotment or in the garden as show dates approach in order to prevent sabotage by their adversaries. Growers present a stand of two or three of their best specimens, and uniformity and quality as well as size are judged. Most of the shows are held from late August through September, and there are many examples throughout Northumberland and Durham so I’ve given details of my local show here as there are too many to list them all. The Ovington Leek Show is usually held on the first Friday of September (or the last in August) at Ovington Social Club and, though small and relatively low-key, is well over a century old. The leeks are displayed during the evening along with the silverware; the winners are announced and prizes & trophies given out on the night, then the leeks are also displayed and often auctioned at the Village Show the following day. Notable immense leeks will also be on display at the Malvern Autumn Show which hosts the UK Giant Vegetables Championship (see separate article for more).
Helpful Hints
In 2026 the Ovington Leek Show should be on Friday 4th September, with the Village Show on Saturday 5th.
Click here for the Ovington Facebook page which has details of the event: https://www.facebook.com/OvingtonVillage
There are other leek shows around the country- just do an internet search for “pot leek show” to find more. If you just search for “leek show” you’ll get references to the Leek & District Agricultural Show in Staffordshire, which includes leeks (and much more, including animals, flowers and crafts) but isn’t a dedicated event to the versatile vegetable.
In 2026 Malvern Autumn Show should be from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th September.
Click here for Malvern Autumn Show: https://malvernautumn.co.uk
and here: https://www.facebook.com/MalvernShows
There’s a private group on Facebook for the National Pot Leek Society which you can join following this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/861247577352199/
Photos are from Ovington and Malvern.
Leave a Reply