Show day

Much as I enjoyed the opportunity to visit The Longest Yarn, that was not the prime reason for being in Southwell last weekend. The words Southwell Ploughing Match and Show have been written clearly in my diary for several months and it was around that major event that my weekend was built.

It was several months ago that I had the original email about training cookery judges from Chief Steward Alison and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. Suffice to say that, thanks to her committee’s support, eleven new cookery judges nearing the end of their training were there ready and able to test their newly acquired skills at the show. Their trainer, my colleague Jill and I were there to support and cheer them on, for though some were on their home turf, a few had travelled some distance to be there.

There was a slightly anxious air to the conversation in the bar of the hotel on the night before the show, then, but lovely that a few of the more local members of the group popped in to say hello (and fill my car boot with a huge pumpkin and an enormous bag of carrots, fresh from the field!)

The morning of the show dawned with a small surprise for us - the first frost of the season! Now, I had driven through torrential rain for most of my three hour journey and having read of floods and waterlogged fields, had brought wellington boots, my barbour raincoat, umbrella and hat with me. I had not brought cold weather gear. We love our English weather but at times, even we seasoned nationals get caught out!

Of course, most of our work goes on under cover in the large Horticultural and Produce tent. That had been constructed some days ago and was dry underfoot, thank goodness.

Both ends of the tent were beautifully set up, ready for the entries to arrive.

Arrive they did - in no time those benches were filled with beautiful things. Wonderful craftwork, clever Lego models and bottles of jewel-coloured liquids, according to their classes. The stewards directed people and issued cards for each entry and I stood, feeling a little superfluous, watching it all happen around me.

Shows like this take an enormous amount of planning and management, all done by enthusiastic volunteers who had been there until late last night and were back again at crack of dawn on the morning of the show. Someone had been busy polishing all the silverware too.

I love watching people bringing in their entries and worried as the chocolate cake, fresh from the oven was brought in on a plate (soggy bottom?) and the young man hurried in with his entry, a Gin and Tonic cake, placed rather precariously on a piece of cardboard. When I saw this small boy holding his entry for the children’s mask class, I couldn’t resist chatting to him and his parents. He’d made his Incredible Hulk mask from a paper plate and was reluctant to let it go.

At 10am on the dot, a hush fell on the tent as everyone was shooed out so that the judging could begin. Just one or two stewards remained, checking things were in the right place and making sure all was tidy and well organised.

I took a quick look around with my camera, trying to keep out of the way of those with jobs to do.

I felt quite jealous of the Craft Judge, who had a wonderful assortment of things to review.

Everything appeared to be of a very high standard and I imagine she would have quite a task to find the winner.

I love the maker’s sense of humour here - cute crocheted vegetables!

Some lovely knitting, too.

I always love to take a look at the floral art classes which looked great against the black backdrop.

But I wasn’t here to spend time looking around, I was here to work with the new cookery judges, to observe their practice and offer assistance and support if needed.

There were children’s cookery classes, based on age. The very youngest were challenged to decorate five buns as farm animals and sadly, I failed to capture their imaginative efforts I’m afraid. But the 6 -10 year olds decorated iced biscuits pretty nicely

The 10-13 year olds made chocolate cakes to a given recipe - one shown above caught my eye, but the competition was stiff!

It’s always interesting to see the variety achieved, even when using the same recipe!

Aged 13-16 were asked to make a plate of five fruit flapjacks, of which this one was my favourite - beautifully presented, aren’t they? The judges tasted each one and found a winner, leaving helpful and encouraging comments on every plate. After all, these are the show supporters of the future, aren’t they?

The tables were groaning under the weight of the main cookery entries, including many entries for the classic classes like the Southwell Ploughing Match Fruitcake, made to a given recipe

There was a class for chocolate brownies where the aroma surrounding the showbench was surely almost as calorie-laden as the brownies themselves!

And the “Man in the Kitchen” (open to gentlemen of all ages) class, where the Gin and Tonic cakes stretched off beyond the horizon!

Each one was cut, tasted and marked to identify the winner. I think the judge was relieved she wasn’t driving home!

Whilst “our” judges got on with their work, systematically working through classes for vegetable cakes, scone rings, novelty cupcakes and Millionaire’s Shortbread, Jill and I were called over with a special request.

Would we please judge the Scarecrow Gathering? Of course we would be delighted to do that!!

There were two classes, the first to promote a business, where there were around ten excellent entries. We looked at each of them closely before choosing the winner, taking into account the response they were attracting from the show visitors too. The guy on the small tractor did well, then, as did the pumpkin-headed chap sitting on his straw bale advertising his farm events. But we couldn’t help but laugh at the vet doing an uncomfortable examination of the sheep, above!

The gravity-defying farmer in the Farmlympics won us over in the family class

Perhaps the spring in his step was as a result of the adjacent entry of a smoochy young farmer?!

As always, a touch of humour works wonders too!

So, Scarecrow winners found, we returned to the tent and hoped that all was going well.

All our judges had completed their work and there was just one thing to do before the public could be allowed back in: all those cakes and biscuits needed to be covered. With amazing skill and clearly, years of practice, the team of stewards held the huge sheet of plastic aloft and carefully lowered it in place. Thoughtful organisers had placed supports on the showbenches earlier, so that the plastic did not come into contact with the entries beneath it…all that careful decoration was secure!

One by one, each table was covered. We stood back, breathed a sigh of relief and watched as the door was opened and the crowds came in.

Time for lunch!

As we went, I spotted a couple of classes in the corner that I’d overlooked earlier. This is an agricultural show after all and in one of the most fertile areas of the country, the farms here are mostly arable. I had already noted there were fewer livestock classes than at the shows in Gloucestershire, but I didn’t spot these cereal classes until now.

How interesting then, to see not only bundles of barley and wheat, but another table with a curious set of paper bags on it…

Each paper bag contained a kilogram or so of feed wheat - the first time I’ve seen such a class at a show like this. Fascinating.

After a spot of lunch, it was time to leave everyone to the fun and to think about driving home. What a great day we’d had, what a fabulously friendly show it had been and how fortunate I was to be here working with friends.

Southwell Show and Ploughing Match - definitely one for the calendar!

(There’s a great set of photographs on the website here, btw)