Onions leave Alan in a pickle

They won't win any prizes in show - but Alan Rutter is chuffed with what could be the world's smallest jars of pickled onions.The 66-year-old, who has a smallholding at Cluddley, Wellington, is planning to contact the Guinness Book of Records with his creations.

About a month ago he realised much of his crop was coming up in miniature.

"I don't know why they haven't grown big, perhaps it's the weather or something," he said. "Or a freak of nature. I had them and I thought, well why not pickle them.

"I have given a jar to my mother-in-law already and she said they were very nice. She has finished them all."

But Mr Rutter said he was hanging on to his three jars, of seven, six and five onions, for a while yet.

"I think I will keep them, perhaps until Christmas. I just need a nice bit of cheese to go with them and perhaps some wine."

He said he used to grow huge onions of up to four-and-a-half pounds that others would take to compete in shows.

"It would have been funny to see these next to those," he said. "Whether I'll ever get any this small again I don't know."