On Wednesday 25th January 2017 Vince, Jimmy and the rest of the team were delighted and honoured to welcome HRH The Princess Royal.
Along with guests from Waitrose, the Lea Valley Growers Association, NFU Mutual and NatWest, Princess Anne had a tour of our packing and grading area and most importantly, our new 21 acre (85,000 m2) glasshouse block.
Vince Russo said: “We were pleased and honoured to host the Princess Royal today. Her visit allowed us to demonstrate how we are investing in the latest technology and techniques to grow sweet peppers and tomatoes with the best quality and maximum shelf life to the British consumer.
“She appeared to be genuinely interested in the growing process, including finding out more about the automation we have introduced throughout the new glasshouse.”
Lea Valley Growers Association secretary Lee Stiles said: “This new glasshouse represents an exciting development for the Lea Valley and we were delighted to have the opportunity to tell Her Royal Highness all about it today. Much has changed since the Queen Mother’s visit almost 60 years ago, but one thing that has remained constant is the enthusiasm and commitment of our growers to produce the best quality fresh produce for the British public.
During the visit HRH signed the same LVGA visitors book which was signed by her Grandmother in 1959, and a plaque was unveiled to mark the occasion. The Princess Royal was presented with gift in the form of a locally made glass bowl with engraving and a book with some information regarding the growing industry in the Lea Valley.
Work is almost finished on the final stage of the build and this will make our development one of the largest glasshouses in the Lea Valley, at circa 30.2 acres (122,000 m2) of growing area. The site will be growing some of the finest British sweet peppers and tomatoes.
