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Monster cabbage gift helps feed rescue animals

Cameron Weldonin Plympton
BBC A small cream coloured guinea pig climbing up inside a very large green cabbage. BBC
Three large Cornish Giant cabbages grown by the National Trust were donated to a Devon animal sanctuary

Giant cabbages grown for a National Trust competition have been donated to a rescue centre to feed hungry animals.

Gardeners at Buckland Abbey in Yelverton grew a number of Cornish Giant cabbages, one of which was 1.2 metres (47.2 inches) across and weighed about 10kg (22lbs) - which won the competition for the biggest across trust sites in Devon and Cornwall "by a country mile".

Three of the large brassicas were taken to the Woodside Animal Sanctuary in Plympton to help feed its sheep, pigs, goats, turkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs.

Gardener Sam Brown said the cabbages, which are "often bred for exhibition", were "really good fun to grow" but were best suited for animal consumption.

National Trust Buckland Abbey's senior gardener Sam Brown stood in a rural setting with a hedge behind him holding a large cabbage. He is looking straight at the camera and smiling while wearing a green fleece and cap.
A goat eating a very large cabbage leaf.
The cabbages were grown by the National Trust's senior gardener Sam Brown
The cabbages were fed to sheep, pigs, goats, turkeys, rabbits and guinea pigs at the sanctuary

"Giant veg typically doesn't taste very good," Brown said.

"The bigger the veg, it's kind of a bit more watery, a bit more tasteless, so it's not that suitable for human consumption." 


He said the Cornish Giant variety was not the easiest to grow as animals wanted to eat them but the warm summer had helped them thrive.

Woodside Animal Sanctuary's senior manager Debbie Haynes said staff laughed when they first heard of the possible donation but thought it would "be great as the animals would love it".

Debbie Haynes, Woodside Animal Sanctuary's senior manager is wearing a red branded coat
Debbie Haynes from Woodside Animal Sanctuary said the animals were "really enjoying the cabbages"

Haynes said the donation would really help the sanctuary as "fresh fruit and veggies are really expensive, so any donations for that is just brilliant".

She said the animals "seem quite excited" by them and were "really enjoying them".

"I've worked here for over 30 years and I've never seen a giant cabbage that big before in my life."


"They're all munching away" but "it may take a guinea pig a long time to get through one of them".

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