Carrots are the tops: six fascinating facts for British Carrot Day

That is the staggering number of carrots Brits consume per year, approximately 100 carrots per person annually.

And with the carrot being harvested every month of the year, we rarely need to rely on importing carrots ensuring that the food miles in your shopping basket are kept low.

To celebrate this versatile vegetable, Britain’s carrot growers are encouraging schools, shopkeepers, chefs and carrot enthusiasts across the UK on 3rd October to dig in to celebrate the third annual British Carrot Day.

Rodger Hobson, chairman of the British Carrot Growers Association just discovered he has grown the biggest field of carrots in the UK this year at a whopping 270 acres and 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.”

Choose British carrots and make something delicious

Carrots are tasty and nutritious and are consistently viewed as one of Britain’s most loved vegetables; they are a staple as an ingredient for salads, stews, sweet treats and low-carb choices like smoothies, as well as one of the heroes in a plateful of the great British roast.

Haley Bell is a self-proclaimed carrot fan and registered nutritionist and B2B food and nutrition consultant, 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.”

This year we are celebrating the vastness of what you can create from British carrots, and we have some of Haley’s brand new delicious recipes to try, including roasted carrot and goats cheese salad and carrot cake oat squares.

How much do you know about carrots?

A popular choice for many shopping lists but how much do we really know about carrots? Discover six fascinating facts about the humble vegetable, the carrot.

1. Carrots are declared to be the most purchased vegetable in the British supermarket shopper’s basket (nestled beside the potato). The most popular vegetables in the UK 2026 | Consumer | YouGov Ratings
2. Carrots were not originally orange; they were more commonly yellow, white, green or purple. One popular explanation is that orange carrots were developed to honour the House of Orange, the Dutch royal dynasty established in 1544.
3. The ancient Greeks called the carrot “Philtron” which is derived from the word philein “to love”. They used it as a love medicine.
4. According to Asian tradition, foods are classified as yin, yang or neutral, carrots are regarded as a yang food, known for their tendency to warm the body, tighten muscles and speed up movement.
5. Known for their high vitamin A content, carrots can help improve skin health.
6. The World’s Longest Carrot was grown by Joe Atheron from Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire in 2007. The carrot was 5.84 metres, over 19 foot long.
7. The Future Consumers Are Growing at School

Carrot grower Rodger added: “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 been 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 schools was provided by the breeding company, Elsoms.

Get Involved with British Carrot Day

We’re asking supporters to share their love of carrots on social media for British Carrot Day, to get involved simply share posts from the official accounts or tag us in your photos, #BritishCarrotDay. If you’re a keen chef, share your creations and helpful tips.

Save the date; 3rd October and join us in celebrating British Carrots.

British Carrot Day 2026 - 3rd October 2026 - www.britishcarrots.co.uk