Then he saw the potato.

The machine roared. A cloud of pungent, cheesy gas exploded across the garden. The vegetables recoiled. The Brussels sprouts shriveled. The leeks wilted. The King Potato let out a terrible, high-pitched squeak as he deflated back into a normal, lumpy spud.

It was a crisp morning in West Wallaby Street, and the annual Tottington Hall Giant Vegetable Competition was only a week away. Wallace, a man with a cheese-based solution for every problem, had decided this was his year to win the “Biggest Marrow” category.