A quick trip to the Marches last week to visit a couple of folk and the Malvern Show. I'm not going to mention any of my normal Show gripes, but concentrate on the positive. The nice thing about the trip was the strong sense of what Common Ground would call "local distinctiveness". It's part of the world that hasn't sold its soul.
I got off to a good start by visiting
Jenny Steel in Shropshire to have a catch up over a coffee, and thence to
Plant Wild, outside Leominster. Plant Wild is the brainchild of Keith Arrowsmith and Suzanne Noble, who are growing and harvesting native plants and seeds. Keith, like me, is a refugee from an altogether different world. Fingers crossed we might work together and we can sell their locally harvested meadow seed mixtures.
Overnighted at the
Three Horseshoes in Little Cowarne. The Good Pub Guide rarely lets me down, and I'm always amazed with the quality and value our best independent pubs provide. Local produce - food and drink - the watchword. Lovely
Wye Valley Bitter and fantastic draft cider from
Oliver's, which as it turns out is just down the road. And some bloke came in and bought a round of a Becks and three Carlsbergs. Sigh.
Set off for the Malvern Show with some trepidation on Saturday - my thoughts on Gardening Shows are well documented, so I won't go over them again. Gorgeous day though, and had a lovely time. Spent most of my time in and around the "Good Life" tent to avoid the tat. Met up with Ian Roger, my main fruit tree supplier, whose amazing display of traditional apple varieties won him a Gold medal. He was even more chuffed by the response from the punters to his stand. More Perry and Cider tasting, of course; particularly liked
Severn Cider's Perry and Cider - good luck to you.
Bravura performances by Mark Diacono and that Joe Swift (he should be on TV), and John Wright. Mark and John were promoting their new books, which are rather good. EVERYONE with an interest in food and the countryside should read them. God knows, we all need a bit of inspiration at the moment. I wonder if social historians of the future will talk about a River Cottage movement and its impact on food. And what nice people, too. Talking of which, there were various bloggers about, including
Veg Plotting and the
Patient Gardener, who it was nice to see - albeit briefly. I wish I could have stayed longer for a proper chat.
To cap a fine day - and before I got lost in the ludicrously unsigned carpark - I was asked to sell
Perry Pear trees at the show next year. Delighted to, especially if it means another stay in Little Cowarne. I wonder if I could sell some local seed for Keith and Suzanne too. Oh - and I almost forgot - here's a heavy horse photo for my mum.
A quick trip to the Marches last week to visit a couple of folk and the Malvern Show. I'm not going to mention any of my normal Show gripes, but concentrate on the positive. The nice thing about the trip was the strong sense of what Common Ground would call "local distinctiveness". It's part of the world that hasn't sold its soul.
I got off to a good start by visiting Jenny Steel in Shropshire to have a catch up over a coffee, and thence to Plant Wild, outside Leominster. Plant Wild is the brainchild of Keith Arrowsmith and Suzanne Noble, who are growing and harvesting native plants and seeds. Keith, like me, is a refugee from an altogether different world. Fingers crossed we might work together and we can sell their locally harvested meadow seed mixtures.
Overnighted at the Three Horseshoes in Little Cowarne. The Good Pub Guide rarely lets me down, and I'm always amazed with the quality and value our best independent pubs provide. Local produce - food and drink - the watchword. Lovely Wye Valley Bitter and fantastic draft cider from Oliver's, which as it turns out is just down the road. And some bloke came in and bought a round of a Becks and three Carlsbergs. Sigh.
Set off for the Malvern Show with some trepidation on Saturday - my thoughts on Gardening Shows are well documented, so I won't go over them again. Gorgeous day though, and had a lovely time. Spent most of my time in and around the "Good Life" tent to avoid the tat. Met up with Ian Roger, my main fruit tree supplier, whose amazing display of traditional apple varieties won him a Gold medal. He was even more chuffed by the response from the punters to his stand. More Perry and Cider tasting, of course; particularly liked Severn Cider's Perry and Cider - good luck to you.
To cap a fine day - and before I got lost in the ludicrously unsigned carpark - I was asked to sell Perry Pear trees at the show next year. Delighted to, especially if it means another stay in Little Cowarne. I wonder if I could sell some local seed for Keith and Suzanne too. Oh - and I almost forgot - here's a heavy horse photo for my mum.