Festival Theatricality

Making notes during the Show Garden build-up last week

The RHS Malvern Spring Festival 2014 is upon us – opening to eager visitors from Thursday 8th May to Sunday 11th May, 9.00am to 18.00 hours each day, come sunshine or (maybe inevitably, the odd shower of rain).

Seeing how it's done ….

With the Showground having been transformed this year, take a moment or two to gain your bearings – maybe over tea or coffee in one of the many refreshment areas. The Show Gardens will delight you – having been privileged to spend a morning on one of the build-up days, I wanted to show you the sheer theatricality of it all. From a veritable building site with earth-movers and scaffolding, wonders have emerged. 

Malvern transformed

More earth-moving, as well as scaffolding, was needed here

Plants were waiting in the wings for their appearance on stage, once the ‘sets’ had been constructed. All will be in pristine condition, come Thursday. Designers will be keen to talk about their gardens; there’s always plenty to learn from their expertise which you can put into practice in your own plot back home. Or just make notes or take photos; what I saw under construction was truly amazing.

All hands on deck, but still time for a much-needed cuppa

Don’t forget the Spring Festival Theatre on the Village Green, which is combining gardening and cookery in an exciting programme of talks, demonstrations and Q&A (question and answer) sessions. The theatre setting has been designed and built by garden designer Peter Dowle who has been involved with so much of this year’s theatricality – in this instance, a kitchen garden to host the theatre programme. 

(Photo courtesy TCAS)

The latest Show news is that HRH The Princess Royal is spending time at the Festival on Friday 9th. She will be met by the Lord Lieutenant for Worcestershire, Lt Col Patrick Holcroft LVO OBE and Mrs Annie Holcroft, and will tour the event with Three Counties Agricultural Society President, Dame Janet Trotter DBE HML. Her Royal Highness is no stranger to the Showground – her first visit was in 1976; she served as TCAS President in 1981 and opened the new Members Complex overlooking the Main Arena in 1986. She last visited the Show in 2010, in its 25th year and met some of the exhibitors who have been with the event since its beginning. Said RHS Malvern Spring Gardening Show Manager, Doreen Smillie: “We are naturally delighted that Her Royal Highness she should choose to honour us with a visit to our new-look show.”

Show Garden Build-Up in progress a week ago

Remember stout shoes (or wellies), rainwear for just-in-case, and a capacious bag/bags or folding trolley for all those purchases. The latter can usually be purchased on site from various exhibitors; for you are sure to get carried away with all those must-have plants, sundries, local food and other delights. AND DON’T FORGET YOUR TICKETS! (I’m now signing out, for this is the last preview for the 2014 Spring Festival. I’ll be back later in the year, but meanwhile if you like what I photograph and write about, you’ll find me on various social network sites, or ‘Google-search’ me to discover my various personal Blogs and new weekly online newsletter.)

Royal Three Counties Show - first preview

Previewing the Royal Three Counties Show
(food, farming and countryside)

Welcome back to those of you who have been following my gardening posts, and ‘hello’ to those of you who are joining me for the first time. Ann’s Malvern Jotter (this Blog) now encompasses other activities on the Showground.

Much more to entertain visitors than just food and farming:
The Red Devils in tandem as they descend towards the main arena

I’ve been visiting the June show every year for as long as I have the gardening shows. Of course, it wasn’t the ‘Royal’ then, but plain ‘Three Counties Show’. In its new guise (and since the demise of the royal event at Stoneleigh), the Malvern ‘Royal’ is growing; so much so that it now utilises almost every square metre of the 98-acre showground. Bursting at the seams in fact with a profusion of fantastic activities to inform and entertain you. I will need all three days to see it all!

There will be six food
and cookery demos
every day

Food, Glorious Food: Billed as ‘the best of British food, farming and countryside’, I am concentrating in this preview today on the food aspect. Centrally placed within the Showground is the ‘Regional Food & Drinks Village’ in the Severn Hall. Included in this spacious permanent building, and in no particular order, will be artisan food stalls; the Three Counties cheese competition – open to producers in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire and neighbouring counties.

Feeling hungry? Stalls to buy local produce will tempt you ...

Meat lovers will enjoy the butchery demonstration from EBLEX plus the Three Counties Cider Show together with a People’s Choice competition; local cider makers selling their produce and giving tastings; education on cider and how to make it, plus cider making equipment; a new class for Hotels and Restaurants and a stand featuring the HEFF Diamond Food award winners 2013. Additionally, farmers’ market stalls will lead into Severn Hall from Avenue F to create the Food Market. (For the uninitiated, EBLEX: the organsiation for the beef and lamb industry; HEFF: Heart of England Fine Foods.)

Cookery Theatre hosts
Glyn & Katie Johnson

Returning to the Show will be the immensely popular 'Cookery Theatre' (also within the Severn Hall) featuring local chefs and products in an immensely packed programme of demonstrations. The theatre programme will be hosted by experienced broadcasters, Katie & Glyn Johnson of ‘Wot’s Cooking’.

The 2013 Cookery Theatre in the Severn Hall 
(image copyright Wot's Cooking)

Reading through the advance list of what is on offer in the Cookery Theatre is tantalizing. On Friday 14th: Robert Swift, a 5th generation baker, who has recently opened his own artisan bakery and baking school in Ludlow, producing some of the most delicious and inventive breads imaginable. Vegetarian Cooking ideas will be demonstrated by Lizzy Hughes who runs ‘Our Lizzy’ Cookery School in Malvern Link – discover how to prepare simple, tasty, nutritious food. Daren Bale of The Hop Pole in Bewdley, recently recognised for his commitment to cooking by Worcestershire and Warwickshire Life Magazines, will feature Cooking Local & Seasonal; Rayeesa Asghar Sandys runs Herefordshire’s first and only authentic Indian Cookery School from her home in Mordiford and is a regular at Herefordshire Farmers' Market.

Bread - a necessity of life

Saturday 15th: Daniel Jones – All About Chocolate – worked at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage but his real love is as Master Chocolatier and Owner of 'Daniel Jones - Artisan Chocolatier'. Felice Tocchini – Ready Steady Cook; Felice has appeared on numerous TV programmes including The One Show, Countryfile, and The Gadget show as well as in the media worldwide for his innovative creations. Robert Swift (Artisan Baker) also returns on Saturday.

Cider, fruit juice and
perry all on tap

Sunday 16th: Steve Brown – head tutor of the cookery school at Daylesford Farm; following years of cooking in Michelin-starred kitchens, Steve followed his passion for local, sustainable, organic food, allowing the ingredients to do the talking. Matt Slocombe – It Has To Be Local – serves the very best food and drink that Herefordshire has to offer at the traditional Crown Inn, Woolhope; he is a huge supporter of the region’s produce, especially the cider! Daniel Jones reprises ‘All About Chocolate’.

Starting young - chefs in the making

A Recommendation: With less than three weeks to go until the opening of the Royal Three Counties Show, may I suggest that you purchase tickets now, for advance purchases come for as little as £8.00 per ticket (based on advanced family ticket price) – tremendous value for a grand day out for families: food, shopping and entertainment – and not forgetting the farming side of things.

All the fun of the fair - and Adam Henson (second left -
presenter of BBC Countryfile) will be
at the Show on Saturday 15th June)

And if you love Malvern and their shows as much as I do, it’s worth considering purchasing Showground Membership for yourself or family, or as a gift for friends. For this, you obtain free admission to three Show days in total per year, VIP Parking, Members VIP Areas at the Malvern Spring Gardening Show, Royal Three Counties Show and Malvern Autumn Show. Most importantly save some money!

Up close and personal with the sheep

I’ll be back in two weeks with my second Show preview, and look forward to welcoming you again, Meanwhile, do also follow the posts of sheep-loving young farmer Jack, in Jack’s Blog. And for all aspects of the Show continually updated visit the Royal Three Counties Show website.

Spring Gardening Show Preview - Reprise and Welcome

Sunny and breezy and marvellous to be  here again

Everyone and everything is ready, awaiting all the Show visitors who, in less than a fifteen minutes will be streaming through the gates, heading towards Show Gardens, Floral Marquee, the Plants & People theatre and trade stands galore.

Scrapbook collage of my first build-up visit

The build-up is over, the judging done. Wraps are removed from exhibits, the final tweak to plants and people; everyone is waiting to greet you. And oh, what a transformation, not only to the Show Gardens but all around the showground. I have just walked up to the Press Centre past rows of artisan local food producers (made my mouth water!); the hills are bathed in sunshine, and all is looking glorious.

More buildup images from the last two weeks ago

Here to delight those are visiting this blog for the first time is a Reprise - the four collages I posted on Facebook, brought together as an online scrapbook of the Show build-up period, or at least of the two days I visited the Showground.

And more ....

I hope my collage scrapbook will equally delight those who have kindly been following this blog - it has been a fascinating experience pulling it all together. 

And not forgetting the children who create 
the most amazing gardens, too
(these images are from last year; shortly awards will be presented
to the 2013 winning schools)

And now, as I start to blog live actually from the Showground, I have a dilemma: am I seeing it all through my authoring eyes, or as a visitor, perhaps someone here for the first time. Am I audience or backstage crew? (And I have my notebook and tiny sketchbook all ready, and a raincoat, just in case ....) I'll be back 'on stage' every day of the Show, with images of finished gardens, activities, and more of all that goes into making The Malvern Spring Gardening Show a wonderful experience.