Tradition of French Onion Johnnies under threat

The long tradition of Onion Johnnies, the Breton farmers who travel annually to Britain to sell strings of onions, is under threat from the economic downturn. There are now only 15 Onion Johnnies trading in the UK, compared with 160 in 1973. Those that remain say they have noticed a 30% decline in sales that they attribute to the rising cost of living and the weakness of the pound.

Emmanuel Lemoach, 33, from Roscoff, has been selling onions on this side of the Channel for five years to regular customers in London, including the Michelin-starred Le Gavroche restaurant. "On a really good day I used to sell 40 strings for £3.50 each," he said. "A string is about a kilo and a half, so it's good value. But now I am lucky if I sell 25. The weak pound might stop everything for us."



French onion farmers started making the journey across the Channel to sell their wares in Plymouth in 1828, when Brittany experienced a bumper crop of the rose-coloured Roscoff onion. Many wore traditional striped tops, berets and were called Jean, which gave rise to the "Johnny" nickname. By the 1930s, more than 1,500 were in Britain.

Now, however, the remaining 15, all from Roscoff, are being forced to consider whether their future is financially viable. Even the president of the Onion Johnnies' association in Roscoff, Pascal Creach, has had to hang up his beret owing to the market collapse. Lemoach, who travels to Britain for three months each year, leaving behind his wife and daughter, said: "London is so expensive that sometimes I have to sleep in my van. It's very hard to find short-term accommodation. That's the reason why young people don't want to do this job. We're dying out."