49-year-old Tony Glover of Moira, Leicestershire, has grown an 18lb 11oz onion (Allium cepa), which is 10lb heavier than the previous world record holder.  Mr Glover has been growing vegetables since he was in his teens: ‘Back then, if you could grow a 5lb onion you had done very well, so I’m very happy with this one.’  It took him almost a year to grow his record-breaker using a greenhouse that is heated in winter and cooled in summer, and with lights fitted to stimulate sun when the days are short or the weather is poor.  His onions are given ‘nitrogen-rich food and … [he has] to make sure the humidity is just right’ [Metro, 19 September 2014].

There appears to be an error in this report; Tony Glover’s onion was, in fact, 10oz heavier than the previous record-holder, not 10lb.