The organisers of a long-running village vegetable show has reportedly allowed people to enter food bought from supermarkets after receiving too few entries.
Mail Online reports that at this year's Quedgeley Show, which features more than 50 prize-winning categories for homegrown items,contestants were allowed to submit vegetables they hadn't grown - and had bought from Tesco or Asda.
Organisers have allegedly admitted they were forced to allow shop-bought goods in because numbers of entrants were so low and they needed to increase competition entries.
Graham Smith, vice-chairman of Quedgeley Parish Council, told Mail Online: 'It was quite frankly embarrassing. People were told they could buy it, show it and eat it after but that still didn't persuade people. It is pathetic.
'I suppose the times have changed. Many people don't have their own garden, let alone an allotment, so they just buy their food from Tesco or Asda.'
A spokesperson for the organisers, said: 'In the real world it is impossible to know if someone has actually grown their entry.Buying from the supermarket is not something we encourage, but we do want more people to get involved.
'We were hoping for more entries and we will be doing all we can to get more people involved, including reviewing the classes to make sure the show is still relevant to the people of Quedgeley.'
Local residents have been showing off their prize marrows, carrots and cauliflowers at the Quedgeley Show since 1972. This year's show took place on July 11.
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