The Great Yorkshire Show

I'm helping a client out on their stand at The Great Yorkshire Show for three days this week. In true Yorkshire style I had a grand day out today in which I saw all, ate all, drank all and paid nowt.  During a lull on the stand I managed to get away and have a look around the garden show section. I was very impressed with the veg displays on the National Farmers' Union and National Vegetable Society stands.

That all looks perfectly nice, probably too perfect. I'd like to think my own imperfect veg will taste all the better for being grown for flavour rather than for looks (but I'm not convinced). That said, if I have got anything half decent on the plot at the end of August I might think about entering it into our local agricultural show along with some wine (one bottle of plum and one of red grape) which is currently fermenting in the spare bedroom.

Taking photographs of vegetables at a show only serves to reinforce my eldest daughter's opinion that I have allotments on the brain all the time. I didn't help myself when during the 24 hour news coverage of the recent Rothbury armed stand-off, at the height of the drama with police vehicles screeching around and journalists running from one eye-witness to another, I mentioned that I thought I could see an allotment in the background of one of the shots and I expressed outrage when I heard that the fugitive was suspected of the most heinous crime of having stolen a tomato from a greenhouse. Anyway, whenever she mentions this, a quick reminder that she is the one with the pink watering-can handbag soon shuts her up.