Where oh where has the summer gone? It seems like only a few weeks ago that we were enjoying glorious sunshine at the Royal Three Counties Show in Malvern, but the leaves are starting to go rusty on the trees and the sun is starting to set on a jam-packed year.
So with that in mind, what better way to get our Autumnal groove on than to hit the aptly named Malvern Autumn Show? We were lucky enough to be invited along on the Sunday for a seasonal celebration full of ginormous vegetables, cute animals, vintage nostalgia and much more.
It doesn’t matter what they say – size really does matter! Or at least it does if you’re one of the exceptionally green fingered folk entering their monster marrows, supersize squashes or colossal carrots into the RHS Malvern Autumn Show. I’ve dabbled at growing my own veg but I could probably hide my entire crop behind just one of these world record beating behemoths. There were plenty of talks on offer with the experts though so maybe you’ll see me back here next year – green fingers crossed!
If the prize vegetables formed the show’s main course, Anton Du Beke made for a well matched side dish, waltzing his way into the tent and kissing every lady in his path, Sarah included! There was a degree of hysteria from most female members of the audience as Anton regaled us with stories of his childhood and his time on Strictly Come Dancing. One lucky lady even got a free dance lesson as Anton generously offered some expert coaching (and gentle ribbing) to a man struggling to lead his partner. For those of you wondering, he sadly does walk rather than dance everywhere, but it was great to see a true entertainer on the stage and hopefully he will do well this year with his celebrity partner, Lesley Joseph. He assures us that he has big plans if we keep them in *hint hint*.
Having had our appetites thoroughly whetted by the beautiful food displays, we headed into the maze of food stalls to find some nourishment. After a ridiculous amount of time trying to decide which one of the many delicious snacks we really wanted, Sarah settled on a gooey pepperoni pizza, and I demolished a pierogi stuffed with sausage, apple, sage and cider, with delicate lavender and lavish turkish delight ice cream for pudding to ensure we had a nicely balanced meal *oops*.
After lunch, we strolled waddled towards to the animal area where Sarah got very over excited by the huddle of wagging dogs ready and willing to be petted, whilst I indulged my fondness for the permanently puzzled looking alpacas. There were also plenty of pigs, goats, sheep, horses and cattle on offer for the more conventionally minded.
Having dragged my small human away from the fluffy chaos, we ventured into the vintage village and plant stalls for some shopping. I am not the world’s biggest fan of shopping but there were enough unusual and interesting stalls on offer to keep me engaged and Sarah certainly enjoyed herself. For those with kids, there were also plenty of activities to keep them occupied from vintage funfair attractions to archery lessons.
We definitely enjoyed ourselves and can’t wait for the next Malvern show to roll around. After a short period of hibernation, it will soon be time for the Spring Festival again.
