FATE would have it that the ‘biggest story’ of last year was a surprisingly local one, albeit one that dated back to 1991.

And it’s a story that this modest publication had a hand in.

When Channel 4’s popular satirical talk show The Last Leg aired its New Year’s Eve special they picked out what they thought was the ‘story of the year.’

‘Forget about the Trace and Trace debacle and step aside second jobs debate,’ crowed Australian host Adam Hills on national television as 2021 entered its final hours. ‘This was the real controversy of the year.’

And the controversy in question?

Veggie-gate, a deep-rooted village show dispute involving now-proven allegations of cheating by former Ilsington Primary School pupil and Haytor Vale resident now known as comedian and Last Leg co-host Josh Widdicombe. Oh, and his dad.

Just to recap, cast your minds back to February of last year.

The Mid-Devon Advertiser was contacted by the Last Leg production team after they got wind of the fact that a young Josh had ‘fraudulently’ picked up first prize for a mini-beast made out of vegetables and fruit at the 1991 Ilsington Parish Flower Show and asked us if we had any ‘evidence’ of this.

We duly obliged by digging out a black and white print and a newspaper cutting of an eight-year-old Josh beaming with his alleged winning vegetable creation.

These were sent to the show’s production team, which lead to Josh’s admission of guilt on live television, a story which we of course followed up on.

Said Josh at the time said: ‘My confession is when I was eight at the Ilsington Parish Flower Show I won first prize in the animal made out of vegetables round – and my Dad had made the animal.’

‘It was the biggest story of the year and viewers may remember the damning piece by the Mid-Devon Advertiser,’ continued Adam as the page in question was flashed up on the New Year’s Eve special.

‘Now, we were going to go to the Islington County Fair to try and rectify Josh’s misdemeanour but Covid got in the way and we couldn’t go there. So, we have brought Islington Fayre to the studio.’

Thanks to the magic of television The Last Leg Studio was transformed into a typical Westcounty summer show ground complete with hay bales, a ubiquitous signpost leading to enticing events and a gingham-covered trestle table awaiting…competition entries.

Competition, I hear you ask?

Yes, a competition. The challenge had been thrown down for the show’s hosts and guests to recreate their favourite news story of the year using only vegetables or food.

And for blue-blooded Last Leg star Josh, who is related to King Henry VIII through his 13th great-grandmother Lady Catherine Knollys, the gloves, or maybe gauntlets, were off.

However, he faced strong competition.

Show host Adam Hills created a biscuit-created diorama of Nicki Minaj and Chris Whitty battling it out in a feature where the protagonists became Biccie Minaj and Chris McVite, while fellow host Alex Brooker had baked an awe-inspiring cake featuring the All Bar One meme. More on this later.

Guests Vick Hope, Maisie Adam, Ivo Graham, Nish Kumar, Aisling Bea and Joe Wilkinson also entered into the spirit of the event with some creative culinary creations.

But it was young master Widdicombe that the nation, well, Devon, was holding its breath for. Could he redeem himself for last century’s heinous crime?

‘I’ve made it myself this time,’ boasted Josh as he unveiled a re-creation of the original beastie of ’91, plus a vegetable likeness of himself.

Honour, it seemed, had been satisfied. But was it enough to cut the mustard with event judge Alex Horne of renowned musical ensemble The Horne Section?

Sadly not, as Alex Brooker’s All Bar One cake was judged as the winning entry… until CCTV footage revealed that Bake Off’s Jürgen Krauss had baked it for Alex, thus making the entry null and void.

As a result Joe Wilkinson’s unadorned potato entry was declared winner as Veggie-gate moved up yet another level of scandal.

Here’s hoping Josh has a thick (potato) skin and will smash the opposition if he can be enticed to create something for this year’s Ilsington Parish Summer Show.

No pressure from us Josh, no pressure at all...