Quirky London Vegetable Contest Features Trump Squash and Papal Cornclave

An annual celebration of agricultural artistry reached new heights of creativity Saturday at London’s Lambeth Country Show, where vegetable sculptures featuring everything from a squash likeness of Donald Trump to a papal “Cornclave” made of maize went on display in Brockwell Park. The two-day urban country fair has earned national recognition for its uniquely British blend of traditional farming festivities and contemporary pop culture commentary.

This year’s contest pushed the boundaries of vegetable art with sculptures that cleverly referenced recent papal elections, popular entertainment, and political figures, according to ABC News.

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Pop Culture Meets Agriculture

The standout piece, “Cornclave,” created by artists Dean Ramsey and Jess Copsey, featured cardinals crafted entirely from corn kernels, providing a humorous take on the recent papal election. The sculpture demonstrated the sophisticated level of craftsmanship that has made this contest a beloved fixture of London’s summer festival circuit.

Other notable entries included “Cauli Parton,” a Dolly Parton tribute rendered in cauliflower and presented in a movie-inspired tableau titled “9 to Chive.” The wordplay extended throughout the exhibition, with artists demonstrating remarkable creativity in both their vegetable medium choices and punning titles.

Celebrity Vegetables and Sports Stars

The contest’s embrace of contemporary culture extended to sports and entertainment figures. Artists created a “Mo Salad” tribute to Liverpool soccer star Mo Salah, while Irish rap trio Kneecap appeared in potato form. Even beloved British animated characters Wallace and Gromit made an appearance, skillfully carved from butternut squash.

Political commentary wasn’t limited to international figures—the exhibition included “Mark Rylunch and the NIMBY campaign,” referencing local planning disputes, and “The Great Wall of Broccoli,” which offered both visual impact and social commentary, according to Washington Post.

Traditional Fair Meets Modern Creativity

The Lambeth Country Show represents a unique adaptation of rural British traditions to urban London life. Held annually in Brockwell Park, the event maintains traditional country fair elements including sheep-shearing demonstrations, livestock competitions, local food vendors, and live music performances while adding distinctly metropolitan touches.

The vegetable sculpture contest has become the fair’s signature attraction, drawing participants who spend months planning their entries. The competition requires not only artistic skill but also deep knowledge of vegetable properties, timing, and preservation techniques to ensure the sculptures maintain their integrity throughout the weekend display period.

Legal Puns and Social Commentary

Some entries ventured into sophisticated legal humor, such as “Habeas Patata,” which combined Latin legal terminology with potato-based artistry. These pieces demonstrated how the contest has evolved beyond simple novelty to become a platform for social and political commentary through agricultural medium.

The level of detail in many sculptures reflected significant time investment, with artists incorporating multiple vegetable types to achieve color variation and textural contrast. The annual nature of the contest has created an informal community of repeat participants who push each other toward increasingly ambitious projects.

Cultural Institution in Bloom

The Lambeth Country Show’s vegetable sculpture contest has achieved recognition far beyond its South London origins, attracting national media attention and inspiring similar events across the UK. The competition demonstrates how traditional agricultural celebrations can adapt to contemporary urban environments while maintaining their community-building function.

Visitors to this year’s show witnessed not only remarkable artistic creativity but also the enduring British tradition of finding humor in unexpected places. From papal elections rendered in corn to pop stars immortalized in cauliflower, the exhibition proved that vegetables can indeed serve as legitimate artistic media for cultural commentary, according to WSLS News.

As the two-day festival concluded, the vegetable sculptures stood as temporary monuments to creativity, community spirit, and the uniquely British ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary through wit, skill, and agricultural produce.

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