British Leafy Salads Association Conference 2010

British Leafy Salads Association

The British Leafy Salads Association holds its conference today Wednesday 24th November 2010 at the East of England Showground. John Allan from the Association talks to the BBC’s Paul Stainton

07:50 Wednesday 24th November 2010
Peterborough Breakfast Show BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

PAUL STAINTON: The British Leafy Salads Association Conference is taking place today in Peterborough. (MUSIC: Beatles Let it Be) The Leafy Salads Association, The British Leafy Salads Association, Lettice B, that’s right. No really, we’re talking lettuce, and all things salad. John Allan is Chairman of the Association. Good morning.
JOHN ALLAN: Good morning.
PS: How are you?
JA: Very well thank you.
PS: We’ve been having fun with this all morning, but this is serious stuff for you guys, isn’t it?
JA: It is, yes.
PS: (LAUGHTER) How do you get serious about lettuce?
JA: If you do it all day, and you do nothing else, you get quite serious about it.
PS: What is The British Leafy Salads Association and what are you doing here?
JA: It’s our trade organisation of all the lettuce growers and leafy salad growers in the country. So this is our bi-ennial conference, where we ..
PS: So you meet twice a year, do you?
JA: Sorry, no, every two years.
PS: Oh biannual, what am I talking about? Yes. OK. I didn’t think this morning. You’ve thrown me completely. So it’s just people that grow leafy salads, and you just get together and sit in a room. What do you talk about?
JA: We have presentations. We look at the markets, we look at market trends, in Europe and in the UK. We look at technology, new ways of growing. Yes the whole range, we try and make it as wide as we can.
PS: Is Lenny the Lettuce going to be there?
JA: He may be. He may make an appearance, yes.
PS: Just describe who he is to folks listening.
JA: Lenny the Lettuce is a character that we’ve created on our website. And Lenny is a children’s (character). It’s for children to connect with. There’s games on there. There’s recipes for children to make. And Lenny the Lettuce is bestriding all of that.
PS: Is he? (LAUGHS) Has he got a licence? There is a serious issue here though, isn’t it? If you do get connected to kids, get them to eat properly, and get them to eat salad and what have you.
JA: Yes. Well that’s the idea, healthy eating.
PS: How many people are turning up at your British Leafy Salads Association conference?
JA: Over two hundred. Well over two hundred. Two hundred and ten I think at the moment.
PS: What time does it all get underway?
JA: We start at 09:55 this morning.
PS: (LAUGHS) Somebody’s asked me to ask this question, so I’m going to ask it, alright? Your the Chairman, aren’t you?
JA: Yes.
PS: So are you the Caesar of the British Leafy Salads Association?
JA: I suppose I must be, yes?
PS: And how are you dressing today?
JA: (LAUGHS) How am I dressing? (LAUGHS) Normally.
PS: Do you need a ticket to get in? Or can you turn up with any piece of salad?
JA: No you need a ticket.
PS: (LAUGHS) Well listen, have a great conference, and good luck delving inside your botanical toolbox.
JA: Thank you very much.
PS: He’s John Allan. He’s the Chairman of The British Leafy Salads Association. And their conference is at the East of England Showground later today.

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