The leeks on display at the show are either as thick as a man's upper arm, or they are nearly two metres long. Their cultivation needs months of care and attention.
The thick ('pot') leeks have to have a blanched portion of exactly six inches and be as wide as possible.
The long leeks are grown in drainpipes in order to exclude light and thereby produce the longest possible portion of blanched, edible stem.
For exhibition, the leeks must be carefully washed of all soil, their leaves arranged and their roots combed!
