British Carrot Day will be celebrated for its third annual observance on 3rd October, with growers encouraging schools, shopkeepers, chefs, and enthusiasts across the UK to participate. Around 22 billion carrot seeds were sown in 2026, leading to a production of over 700,000 tonnes of British carrots, equating to approximately 100 carrots per person annually.
The vegetable is harvested every month of the year, reducing reliance on imports and keeping food miles low.
Rodger Hobson, Chairman of the British Carrot Growers Association, who cultivated 270 acres of carrots this year, commented on the significance of the event.
He said: “British Carrot Day is important to us carrot growers, because we love what we do and it gives us a chance to celebrate. We feel a real sense of pride and responsibility to make sure that there are always bags of fresh carrots on supermarket shelves and that they are such a good value food. This year hasn’t been easy because it has been so dry across much of the UK but we’re also proud of our efforts to maintain as much self-sufficiency as possible in this iconic British vegetable.”
Carrots are consistently regarded as one of Britain’s most favoured vegetables, serving as a staple ingredient for salads, stews, sweet treats, and low-carb options like smoothies. Haley Bell, a Registered Nutritionist and B2B Food and Nutrition Consultant, highlighted their nutritional benefits.
She said: “I’ve always loved carrots and I use them in all sorts of ways, from roasting them with a little honey to adding them to oats, potatoes, soups, stews and traybakes. They’re such a useful ingredient as we head into autumn. Carrots are naturally high in vitamin A and fibre. Their characteristic orange colour comes from carotenoids, including beta-carotene. They’re also incredibly versatile, whether you’re roasting them, adding them to salads or even using them in baking.”
New recipes, including roasted carrot and goats cheese salad and carrot cake oat squares, are available to try.
The British Carrot Growers Association has also highlighted six facts about the vegetable. Carrots are declared to be the most purchased vegetable in the British supermarket shopper’s basket, alongside potatoes. They were not originally orange, with one popular explanation suggesting orange carrots were developed to honour the Dutch royal dynasty, the House of Orange. The ancient Greeks referred to carrots as “Philtron,” linked to love medicine, while in Asian tradition, they are considered a yang food.
Known for their high vitamin A content, carrots can support skin health. The World’s Longest Carrot, measuring 5.84 metres, was grown by Joe Atheron in 2007.
The future generation of consumers is being engaged through education.
Rodger Hobson said: “Learning about the value in British grown vegetables and reducing food miles is important for understanding how to eat healthily and where our food comes from. Our school carrot growing competition has bene incredibly popular this year and we’re looking forward to announcing our winning schools this Autumn. We’ve challenged school children from across the UK to grow their own carrots, create a three-course menu and keep a carrot growing diary.”
Seeds for the competition were provided by Elsoms.
Supporters are encouraged to share their appreciation for carrots on social media using #BritishCarrotDay, by sharing posts from official accounts or tagging photos. The British Carrot Growers’ Association (BCGA) consists of approximately 40 UK carrot producers, aiming to increase UK carrot consumption and manage industry sustainability. The BCGA is the founder of British Carrot Day.
