St Andrews Seed Sessions

An extract from the book 40 Humourous British Traditions

Most people think nothing of mundane activities such as spitting out a seed, flicking a discarded pip from a trouser leg, or squeezing a cherry stone between your fingers until it scoots into the distance. However in St Andrews in Fife these activities are celebrated in style at the annual Seed Sessions in the third week of August.

The term ‘seed’ is a generic term that covers pips, stones and hulls from various fruits. Because of the different sizes of the seeds, each of the contests is split into many categories. These categories are for apple seeds, orange pips, cherry stones, olive pitts and watermelon seeds.