Aylsham Show 2012

The sun was dutifully shining on the morning of the show and there was an air of excitement in the house-mainly from me. We always try to dress up a bit for this eminent rural occasion so it took me a while to choose the right hat. It was frustrating having to queue up for tickets for so long and we made a mental note to try and and buy them in advance next year; the prospect of breezing through the entrance whilst others impatiently queue seems like a better option.


We made some purchases from our favourite bucolic second hand book stall to add to our collection of old local country and recipe books.



After immediately spending money at our favourite book stall that we encounter several times each year at various country events, we headed towards the animals and small judging rings.

These handsome goats caught our eye. They have such naughty faces! I could peruse the animal pens for hours because of my interest and respect for the amount of work that their owners put into rearing, caring and preparing their creatures for the judging rings; a real demonstration of their dedication to animal husbandry.

Such a photogenic face.

These sheep have been washed, clipped, pampered, trimmed and buffed to perfection and their handlers anxiously await the judge's decision. Small, subtle body language; a nod, a raise of the eyebrow and an all-knowing glance sum up the adjudicator's thoughts. Handlers as young as five years old assertively clutch hold of their Longwools and Suffolks alongside more experienced exhibitors. This is exciting stuff to watch!

The poultry tent never fails to impress us and, aside from the many rosettes deservedly won, the signs that read 'For Sale' are such a draw. We have long coveted the idea of keeping Silkies, Buff Orpingtons and Bantams, but our own rather tired flock of aged Speckled and Light Sussex has been decimated by a fox twice in one year and we just cannot outlay the initial expense on these desirable birds.

The appearance of Jelly the Jersey cow helps to raise awareness about the plight of the British dairy farmers.

It should make us all really angry that large supermarkets care more about competing with each other on the price of milk than actually paying our dairy farmers a fair price. Who cares if milk is a few pence more expensive if it means our cows have a happy home?

Speaking of food producers, our hungry bellies led us to the food tent in search of late-breakfast sustinance.

This sign lured us into the food tent like a Siren to the rocks.

We consider ourselves to be very aware of our local food producers, but it never ceases to amaze me how many newly successful suppliers we discover at Aylsham Show. I am going to start with our old favourites who we return to all year round for mouthwatering products.



The carrot that drew us in is the promise of the best pork pie in Norfolk-probably wider afield too but we rarely venture out of East Anglia!

Brays Cottage  pork pies (http://www.perfectpie.co.uk/) come in a variety of delicious flavours and sizes and are sold in all the food outlets in Norfolk that we love. The fillings taste of real, 'happy' pork and a uniquely homely herb mix. Reassuringly, there is no nasty jelly or pinkness and the hotwater crust pastry is satisfying, but not too rich. This fabulous purveyor of pies provided evening snacks for our wedding last summer and many guests complimented us on our find. We bagged two of 'The Naked' pork pies and two of my own personal favourites: 'Onion Marmalade' and moved onto Mrs Temple's cheeses.

My favourite of Mrs Temple's cheeses-a delicate blue cheese that is as delicious young as it is mature.



Some more of Mrs Temple's beautifully packaged cheeses.



We come away with Binham Blue and Smoked Walsingham before exploring newer stalls.

The Norfolk Deli Company specialises in cured meats, designer sausages and other lip-smacking treats that go well with a beverage or two.

This is the first time we have come across the Norfolk Deli Company and we will definitely go back and buy more. All of their meat is supplied from a local award-winning farm and they seem to use traditional and Mediterranean curing methods to flavour their aray of meaty deli products. A generous handful of thinly sliced Lomo (cured tenderloin) and a packet of their hot and spicy Chilli Fried Beans promise us a tasty accompaniment to a relaxed evening with an old film.

This ingenious conversion of the humble broad bean is the perfect addition to a pint of Woodforde's Wherry.

Clutching my savoury delights, I turned towards something sweeter and discovered the wonderful 'Sponge' (http://www.sponge.co.uk/). I have no idea how this amazing company has passed me by since I have scoffed the sponge cake at Byfords several times. Next to Graves' butchers, this was our second most local food producer at the show and I was really wowed by their marketing and packaging of this exquisite range of homemade sponge cakes.   

Even though I am an avid home baker and would always, given the time, make my own Victoria sponge, I was instantly compelled to buy these cakes for my family and friends. The bright, vintagey Union Jack packaging, strings of bunting and the strong sense that this is a genuinely friendly family business is all the more alluring and I will definitely be ordering cakes from their easy to navigate website. I purchased several of their 'Baby Sponges' at £1.00 each. Neat little boxes containing a moist mini-sponge cake with a topping that matches its flavour was money well-spent and our family's collective favourites were Apple Crumble and Bakewell Tart. 

Other foodie favourites included Norfolk Apple Juice.

The first apples of the season: Discovery apples from Norfolk apple juice.

Delicious local cold-pressed rapeseed oil from Crush- www.crush-foods.com -available by the can-love it!

Tearing myself away from the foodie delights on offer, we spent some time admiring the vintage cars and old military vehicles.

I wouldn't mind pulling up at Fakenham market in this beauty!



As a self-confessed tractor lover, I enjoyed the fantasy of having enough pennies to purchase a modest smallholder's tractor for around £15,000. Oh well-maybe one day I will have a smallholding to use one of these on!

We also spent a lot of time lazily sitting on benches around the main arena watching the Devils' Horsemen, the sheepdog demonstrations and the North Norfolk Harriers.

Little Miss DB was captivated by the North Norfolk Harriers and really enjoyed the opportunity to go in the main arena and meet the dogs.

The beautiful white North Norfolk Harrier dogs that have been allegedly mistaken for pale golden labaradors or flocks of seagulls from a distance.

The day was rounded off by the increadibly moving Battle of Britain fly past. The roar of the Lancaster Bomber with a Spitfire at its tail was spine tingling. To think that this was a sound that was familiar to our grandparents' generation is almost alien now-thankfully. However, what a wonderful way to pay respect to the pilots of the Second World War and the engineering behind our victory.



I'm afraid the camera on my phone cannot quite recapture the drama of this scene, but seeing these planes banking over Blickling park with their reflections on the lake was truely amazing.

Much as I don't want the summer to end or to go back to work, this was such an amazing day. Aylsham Show seemed better than ever this year. The autumn holds so much promise, mainly food-related, and I can't wait for mushroom picking, roast pheasant and plums.