ALLOTMENT holder Wendy Skinner Smith knows her onions – and has a trophy to prove it.

Mrs Skinner Smith won the Challenge Trophy in this year’s Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations Competition.

Bob Timbs, city council executive board member for allotments, gave out this year’s gardening gongs at a Town Hall ceremony on Tuesday.

Mrs Skinner Smith, 59, of Bridge Street, Osney, who has an allotment at Cripley Meadow, said: “I’m really chuffed to get this award. I have been doing this for 32 years and I haven’t won before.

“My family is vegetarian and I grow all my own fruit and vegetables including raspberries, peppers, potatoes, leeks, carrots and onions.

“There are hundreds of different vegetables that you can grow and it all helps to combat climate change.

“I was doing this long before it became trendy – it’s a great way of life.

“Allotment holders learn to be quite adaptable to change – during the floods in 2007 we were under 2ft of water but six weeks later we were picking food again.”

The Alderman Knight Shield for best kept allotment site went to Elder Stubbs Allotment Association, Rymers Lane, Cowley, with Cripley Meadow and Southward associations second and third respectively.

Phil Creme, 58, estate manager for Elder Stubbs Allotment Association, said: “We are delighted. People take great pride in their allotments and there is a broad cross-section of people using them. We are the only association in the city run as a charity and Restore mental health organisation is allocated space on site.”

Judges were John Alcock, who worked for the City Parks department, and Mike Kent, an experienced gardener from Bartlemas Allotment Association.

Entries were judged in mid-June and again in mid-September.

There were 51 entries in individual classes from 13 sites, and six allotment sites entered for the best kept site section.

Awards went to individual plots in four sections – the Challenge Trophy for the best overall plot, seniors aged 60-69, seniors over 70, and the Standingford Shield, which is restricted to entrants who have not won a previous award.