Could it be the variety that yoou are growing, Harry, some are more 'carrot' shaped than round.

They need lime and firm ground....they're basically a Brassica....the part you eat is a swollen stem, not a root. They also need lots of water during the growing period

I tried to grow them on the allotments but the results were miserable. I have come to the conclusion that they are so cheap to buy and most are as big as cannon balls that will last for weeks, then why bother?

I grew a variety called `Marion` on the allotment last year, they were brilliant, almost globe shaped but quite small, sowed the seed direct into the ground in mid April and started harvesting from June onwards, in fact just about picked the last ones before Christmas. Will definitely be growing them again this year.

I find swedes are impossibly hard to chop up. Is there a knack? I've resorted to buying them ready prepared!

Never have that problem. Just peel with a sharp knife and chop `em :-)

But they roll about & you need an axe not a knife to get into them?:-(