The Aldbury Village Website
Gardeners often moan about the weather. It’s never just right, either for them or their plants. But this year has really been a test of resilience for everything with roots. The soil has been like dust on my allotment and hard as nails in my garden. What kind of winter we have will make a big difference to what survives and what doesn’t. Lots of hard frost after this year’s drought and I will fear for many of my plants. But that’s part and parcel of what makes it so interesting and how gardens change and evolve over time.
I lost count of the number of people who said to me before the show that they had precious few flowers left in their garden. Anything that survived the drought got battered by wind and rain the week beforehand, and any hopes that a rose bloom from my poor second flushes would still be viable were well and truly dashed.
But as usual, our members came up trumps and the hall was awash with flowers and vegetables. Not quite as many as usual perhaps, but a notable lack of roses, gladioli and runner beans were more than compensated by lots of very impressive dahlias and absolutely bucket loads of tomatoes and fruit!
It was Tess’s year for flowers. Annie has won the Challenge Bowl for the most points across all flower categories every year since 2017, and most of the Top Vases. Very impressive! This year Tess won both of these so Annie has had to relinquish her grasp on the flower silverware. I must mention Linda’s dahlias though because she won two out of the three dahlia classes with some absolutely stunning blooms.
The male members of our club get more into their comfort zone with vegetables. Tom France and Ellie Fido grew winning sweetcorn, the tastiest tomato and some gorgeous aubergines. Michael Mann won for his potatoes, beetroot and runner beans, and he and Rod Allsworth shared first prize for the longest bean. Despite me straightening them both out whilst our judge Peter wielded his tape measure, they couldn’t be separated! Bill won shallots and cucumbers with Tess and Alex taking first prizes for their mixed and single type fruit bowls. I won the AGC Cup for most points in vegetables and fruit overall.
Bill politely declined the peerage I bestowed upon him last year when I elevated him from Mr to Lord Allotment. Despite wearing a green T-Shirt sporting the words Allotment Envy on it he was not confident that he would retain the Tom Badrick Memorial Top Tray Trophy once he saw my offering, but he did! 😊
Xanthe pulled out all the stops yet again and created stunning flowers and trees out of homemade biscuits, plus an amazing T-Shirt covered in holiday memories. Our judge Eileen is always gobsmacked at her talent and awarded her the Junior Trophy once again.
We had all sorts of wonderful jars of different jams and jellies in the domestic classes. Tess, Annie and Michael all won a first prize for theirs, but Paula’s raspberry jam saw her win the Clare Capey Memorial Shield for the second year in a row. Well done, Paula.
The baking classes were focaccia bread, a sponge cake including fruit, and a lemon tart. Ann Allsworth won for her bread and her tart, but despite my winning only the cake class and my lemon tart cracking so badly that it looked like the Giants Causeway, I had enough overall points with my seconds and thirds to win the Joan Collins Challenge Cup for the first time.
The floral art classes were ‘From the Hedgerow’ and ‘Floral Harvest’. We all interpreted these slightly differently which made for some very interesting displays. I particularly liked that Kate Kelland included some rubbish in one of hers (which sadly is all too aften what you find in a hedgerow) and Annie’s seed head floral harvest. Annie, Tess and I were each awarded 4 points overall, so we share the Challenge Cup. Lots for the engraver to do this year!
My thanks go primarily to everyone who entered an exhibit or who came down to look at what we had produced. You make our shows. I’d also like to thank your tireless AGC committee (Fay, Sue, Tess, Paula, Ted and Ian), Sylvia and Rose for entry management, Janet for taking charge of the raffle, John for photography, Peter, Eileen and Christine for their judging, and all the additional people we had helping to set up and clear up – Tim, John, Andy, Jont, Beth and Linda. If I’ve forgotten anyone then I’m sorry and thank you too!
Rachael MacRae
AGC Chair
After a challenging year of unseasonably cold, wet weather and a veritable plague of slugs and snails I wasn’t confident we were going to get a great showing this year. I was wrong! The sun shone just enough in August to ripen and swell vegetables, encourage a second flower flush and boost everyone’s rain dampened spirits. We had a super mix of entries from members and non-members of the garden club alike and the sunlit Memorial Hall was full of colour, flower scent and people as we approached the 4pm prize giving.
Annie won first prizes for her gladioli, 3 roses in a vase, most scented rose, her pot plant and the Top Vase display. Despite stiff competition from Tess, Linda, Chris, Clare, Barbara, Sue, Liliana and me, these plus a smattering of second and third placed blooms were enough to win her the coveted Challenge Bowl for the most points across all flower classes. This is the 7th year running that she has achieved this. Amazing job Annie!
Competition in the vegetable and fruit classes is always fierce. I was gutted to see that what I had fairly confidently predicted were going to be prize winning cucumbers (long and pretty straight) being pipped at the post by Mike and Juanita – theirs were longer, straighter and fatter!! They also won the chilli/pepper class, runner beans and the longest runner bean. This latter category had been reinstated after Joan was so disappointed last year to find it no longer in the show. She has been nurturing a choice bean all season and many of us were rooting for her, but sadly it didn’t grow long enough. Next year Joan!
Tess won first prizes for her carrots, tastiest tomato, courgettes and bowl of mixed fruit, Sue for her garlic and Fay (much to her surprise) for her cherry tomatoes. Despite Mr Allotment himself (Bill) regaling me about the quality of his marrows and kale, they didn’t quite cut the mustard. He did however win first prizes for his potatoes, onions and shallots, and for the second year running the much sought after Ted Badrick Memorial Top Tray Trophy for his collection of beans, tomatoes and mangetouts. Perhaps I should elevate him to Lord Allotment? I’m still convinced that he ironed his mangetout flat though!
Flower arranging is an art in itself, made harder this year by the fact that the AGC took the decision to ban the use of oasis in accordance with RHS sustainability guidelines. Tess is a genius at being creative with flowers and her displays on the subjects of Waterfall and Olympic Flame were magnificent, winning her the Aldbury Association Challenge Cup. And she only ever uses flowers she has grown herself despite being at liberty to buy some if she needed to. Brilliant!
We have an extremely talented child in our village. Xanthe Cole’s ‘Pasta and pulses garden picture’ and ‘Paris Olympics in any edible form’ would have been sublime entries from an adult let alone an 8-year-old. Our judge Eileen was bowled over by what Xanthe had done, as was everyone else. Please have a look at the pictures below to see what won her the Junior Classes Cup.
This was the first year in what seems like forever that Pat has not judged the Domestic Classes. Sadly, she wasn’t well enough and although Christine O’Callaghan (nominated to judge by Pat herself) did a fantastic job, the day just was not the same without Pat’s legendary comments on our efforts. The other conspicuous absence was Ann Allsworth, but her holiday meant the rest of us stood a chance at the trophy! Paula bore in her savoury loaf smelling delicious straight from the oven. My cheesecake was not so fortunate as making it early then freezing it had left the base literally swimming in liquid. Clare baked the winning one. Most of us were chastised in some way about our jams (not set enough, too set, not full enough, no wax disc, not enough flavour ……) but Paula’s raspberry jam was perfect enough to win her the Clare Capey Memorial Shield, and that plus her jar of jelly, bread, chocolate roulade and stoned fruit jam combined won her the Joan Collins Challenge Cup for most points in the Domestic Classes. The expression on her face when I told her she’d won was priceless!
There are two other trophies not yet mentioned: The AGC Cup for the most points in vegetable and fruit classes and the Mead Cup awarded for most points across all show classes. I am delighted to be able to say that I won those. My first silverware in a Summer Show 😊
As always, my heartfelt thanks go to the rest of the AGC Committee (Linda, Sue, Tess, Paula, Ian and Ted), Tim, John and Beth who helped to set up and/or take down. Sylvia and Rose who managed all the entries, Fay who took charge the raffle, and our judges Peter, Eileen and Christine. A huge team effort.
Lastly but most importantly I think, thank you to everyone who brought down an entry, came to see the displays or bought a raffle ticket. Without you all there would be no show.
Rachael
AGC Chair
Oh, how I love this village! Two recent happenings that epitomise its spirit to me are the pond restoration and the Summer Show.
After several weeks of dreary weather during which tomatoes, peppers and chillies were struggling to ripen but everyone was at the same time glad not to be a slave to the hose and watering can, September 3rd dawned sunny and warm. Our village show is a tradition that dates back decades and it’s a privilege to be part of it. Friendly rivalry and a competitive spirit from the young to the old make the day a special one, and great fun despite being blooming hard work (pardon the pun!).
The Memorial Hall quickly filled up with masses of flowers and vegetables, with the ‘most fragrant rose’ class dominating the room in a delightful way. Janet Joynson won that category with Gertrude Jekyll, but Annie Eggar triumphed in the other two rose classes winning first prize for three roses of any variety and one specimen rose bloom. Jo Stone’s vase of up to nine dahlias was spectacular, and Mary Whittell made a stunning comeback to exhibiting with her prize-winning pink hydrangea. Once again though the Challenge Bowl for the most points across all flower classes was carried off by the indomitable Annie Eggar. Anyone who has seen her allotment will know why. She also won the AGC Top Vase trophy.
Vegetables were, as always, a hard-fought battleground with multiple contenders pipping each other to various posts. Liliana Salisbury won for carrots, beetroot and shallots, Bill Page for potatoes, French beans and tomatoes, Nick Hollinghurst for runner beans and courgettes, Alex and Anna Milan for their cucumbers and peppers, Tess Alps for her squash, sweetcorn, turnips and garlic, and Mike Mann for his onions. Phew! The coveted Tom Badrick Memorial Top Tray Trophy was won by the vegetable growing legend that is Bill Page for his collection of French Beans, tomatoes, and beetroot.
Knowing that my flowers and vegetables would not cut the mustard, I baked and jammed for Britain to try and get some points in the domestic classes, but my efforts were in vain! Linda Di Mizio was crowned Queen of Raspberry Jam and won the Clare Capey Memorial Sheild, with Tess and Janet Joynson each winning the other jam classes. The Kents bees had produced some lovely honey, but Ann Allsworth’s cooking outshone us all and she won the Joan Collins Challenge Cup for the fourth time. Does Bake Off beckon?!
The Floral Art categories were Summer Sunset and In the Green. The colours of the sunset displays were stunning and contrasted beautifully with the cooler, calmer green exhibits. Tess was our champion floral artist and won the Challenge Cup for her beautiful arrangements.
I am always in awe of how the minds of children work. The imagination and creativity they showed in our ‘Biscuit Beach’ and an ‘Extra-Terrestrial modelled from vegetables’ classes was simply incredible. All the entries were inspired and earned a treat prize, but Xanthe Cole won both categories with her jaw dropping exhibits. Such a talent.
The Mead Cup is awarded to the exhibitor who gains most points across all show classes. It takes skill, dedication, creativity, and attention to detail to win it and we have an invaluable member of the AGC who has all those qualities and many more. It is, of course, our wonderful Tess Alps.
I’d like to thank all those who exhibited and came down to support us. Without you all there would be no show. I’d also like to thank the tireless committee and all those who helped set up, clear away, sell raffle tickets, receive entries, judge the show, take photographs …….. the list is a long one! ‘Thanks’ is too small a word for so much effort and I can’t express how much we appreciate it.
Rachael
AGC Chair
