British gardener's 56.3-inch leek earns Guinness World Record

Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A British gardener earned a Guinness World Record for growing a 56.3-inch-long leek.

Derek Hulme, who grew his leek on his allotment in Stoke-on-Trent, entered his large vegetable in the CANNA U.K. National Giant Vegetable Championships in Malvern, Worcestershire, where its length was officially verified.

The vegetable earned Hulme the Guinness World Record for longest leek.

"Back in 2019 I and a few other giant veg growers were given a packet of 30 Bulgarian long leek seed in an attempt to grow the first ever world record for the world's longest leek," Hulme said in a news release from the Stoke-on-Trent local government.

"Due to the coronavirus pandemic, I was unable to take my leeks along to any shows but this year I entered the Malvern, CANNA U.K. National Giant Vegetable Championships and have finally officially won the Guinness World Record for the world's longest leek," he said.