Marden Fruit Show Society chairman Robert Mitchell said that more practical help and good research is essential for the UK fruit industry to achieve its aims in delivering quality produce to consumers.

'Over the years the sector's financial base has been eroded due to cost cut backs, and meanwhile there has been a massive increase in charges placed on growers from the pesticides safety directorate,' said Mitchell.

He added that the fruit industry was hampered by poor safety checks on produce coming in to UK ports.

But he stressed that the catering sector represented an exciting potential market for UK fruit, and that the industry as a whole should target it.

Mitchell also highlighted that there was increasing evidence to show that promotional tastings within retail and wholesale outlets were more productive than wars on price.

'Asda has carried out very successful tastings over the year, and the response to tastings at Sainsbury's has been phenomenal. The focus should be on exclusivity of variety and top quality produce, not prices.' He added that the two-day show, which was held in the Detling showground near Maidstone on October 17-18, played host to a full range of top fruit and soft fruit displays, as well as cobnut and juicing exhibits.

The event also featured a display of processed Bramley products, a celebrity chef and an apple-peeling competition, all appearing for the first time.

The winner of the tastiest apple competition was a Queen Cox from JA & NJ Bardsley of Tonbridge, Kent. The company also won the Covent Garden Market Authority prize for the best all round exhibit of apples or pears in the show.

Show organisers said they expected 2,000 visitors to the event over the two days, including commercial fruit growers, politicians and buyers.

It is organised and run almost exclusively by UK growers.