Huddersfield Flower, Vegetable and Handicraft Show

Last weekend was the Huddersfield Flower, Vegetable and Handicraft Show held at Ravensknowle Park. I dragged Martin along to have a look!

Yes he looks a bit startled! It is certainly an odd event, very old fashioned in some sense but was very popular with visitors.
First are the flowers, the instructions in the book are very specific, such as Vase of Sweet Peas, twelve spikes.

The begonias were amazing, incredibly big flower heads.

And the dahlias...

But one of my favourite flowers is the sunflower.
For this you have to display three blooms

And so to the vegetables. The first category is for a basket of mixed vegetables, this won first prize and deservedly so.

But then there are categories for each vegetable separately with guidelines on the length that you have to trim the tops to for beetroot and carrots, how many pods to display for the legumes and how to tie the onion tops with rafia.
Here is a selection.

I noticed the name of John Beaumont on a lot of the prize-winning veg, he has the plot next to me and I took over his second plot.
You can also exhibit your cakes, jams, home-brew wines and beers and handicrafts.

So I'm going to get my fellow crafters, to enter some next year.
I'm not sure what I think of all the vegetable showing as I think looks and size aren't everything! Taste is never taken into consideration in these things, though I guess that is very subjective. But it looks fun so I may give it a go next year.Whilst I was there I joined the Huddersfield and district allotment society which meets every month, the chap from the allotment behind my house was there and he was encouraging me to enter something next year. I said that I wouldn't have a clue what to do but he said that I could just bring it along and everyone would help, so that was very friendly so maybe I will.
Here is a group of my recent harvest, I was particularly impressed with my broccoli (calabrese) though there isn't a category for that at the show!

There was also a brilliant exhibition of model gardens and allotments at the show.