Gidding Produce Show 2014 – a growing success

Gidding Produce Show 2014 - a growing success

What a show it was this year! Considering how difficult the weather has been at times we were a little apprehensive about how many entries we would get but we shouldn’t have worried. There was a wonderful array of vegetables and fruit and a great increase in entries for the jams, chutneys, baking, and bottles of homemade wine and sloe gin.

When the marks were added up, it was a very close run thing in many of the categories so next year the cups could be changing hands again. We also had many more children enter this year who showed fantastic technical skills as well as marvellous imagination and artistic talents. Thank you to all the show entrants for making it so interesting for the rest of us.

Excellent barbecue rounds off the day

Altering the format this year was a bit of a gamble but the BBQ proved to be a great success and no wonder, with the excellent organisational abilities and cooking of both Andrew Underwood and Dick Downer (at least I think it was them behind the smoke). Thanks to them we were all well fed and I can personally vouch for the vegetarian choice, halloumi cheese and aubergine wrap – delicious!

Raising funds for Village Hall and the Friends of St Michael’s Church

Although all the costs have not yet been accounted for as we have to have the cups engraved for the new winners, it looks as if we should have made over £300 including a much appreciated contribution from the parish council which helped us keep the cost of the food down and stage a really fun village event for all the family. The proceeds will be distributed between the Village Hall and the Friends of St Michael’s Church, two charities that look after the fabric of two special buildings in this village. Our profits were also increased by the generous donation of Bruce Jordan’s handmade fort which reached £25.00 by auction, thank you Bruce you have made somebody’s grandchild (and the show committee members) very happy!

A final note of thanks to Maurice and Margaret Armstrong, two stalwart members of the committee who worked so hard to make the event the success that it was and also to our judges who also had to work so hard this year with the increased entries!

Report by Sue and Patrick Jarvis

Winners of the Classes
Overall Winner Amelia Hodson
Vegetables/Fruit Amelia Hodson
Baking Brenda Williams
Jams/Chutneys Steve Knowles
Flowers Sue Shepherd
Craft Mich Woodley
Children Tilly Warren

And the Giddings website says special thanks to Sue & Patrick Jarvis and everyone involved in making it such an enjoyable event for the Giddings and surrounding villages.

Gallery

Is it possible? Less than a week to go before the Gidding Village Show !!

Is it possible?  Less than a week to go before the Gidding Village Show !!

Just a reminder that there’s less than a week to go before the village show and BBQ on Sat 6th September from 2.00pm to 4.00pm. We hope that there will be plenty of entries this year and know that it’s been a difficult year (again) but don’t be put off from entering your produce even if it isn’t up to the standard you would like. Remember, it’s the taking part that counts and people are only allowed to laugh at their own entries – Gidding rules.

Don’t forget the BBQ

Don’t forget the BBQ starts at 4.00 p.m. and all are welcome, whether you have entered the village show or not. We will be asking for a small contribution towards a drink and a burger (delicious veggy options will be available , even if true carnivores find the ‘delicious’ bit hard to believe) and there will be plenty for everyone to enjoy. Hopefully the sun will be shining and it will be time for the lucky winners to enjoy their glory and the rest of us to discuss what went wrong.

Auction

The sealed envelope auction will also take place then and for those of you who haven’t come across this before (like most of the committee) it SHOULD go something like this. You put an unspecified amount in an envelope, mark it with your name and produce preference e.g. cakes rather than veg, and we will endeavour to match your envelope with a bag of goodies. It sounds relatively simple but I suspect there could well be a few amusing glitches along the way so come along and be part of the fun.

Hope to see you there, just remember to get your entries in by mid-day on Sat, and if you haven’t got a schedule you can check the classes out on this website. Good luck!

The Show Schedule

Public Viewing 3.00 to 4.OOpm
Presentation of Cups and Certificates at 4.00pm followed by B.B.Q. and brown envelope raffle.
Everyone welcome!

Vegetables and Fruit

  1. Carrots – 3
  2. Potatoes (white) – 5 on a plate
  3. Potatoes (coloured) – 5 on a plate
  4. Courgettes – 2
  5. Shallots – 5
  6. Onions – 3 (each over 125g)
  7. Runner Beans – 6
  8. Longest Runner Bean – 1
  9. Leeks – 3
  10. Dwarf French Beans – 6
  11. Beetroot – 3
  12. Sweetcorn – 2
  13. Tomatoes – 5
  14. Cherry Tomatoes – 8
  15. Vegetable marrow – 1
  16. Apples (dessert) – 5
  17. Apples (cooking) – 5
  18. Pears – 5
  19. Plums – 5
  20. Collection of cut herbs, 4 varieties in one container
  21. Biggest Pumpkin
  22. Largest Onion
  23. Largest Marrow
  24. Top Tray, collection of 3 kinds of vegetables on a tray, selected from the following, number as indicated in brackets. Onions (3), Potatoes (3), Runner Beans (6), Tomatoes (6), Carrots with tops (6), Parsnips with tops (3).

Plants and Flowers

  1. Three decorative Dahlias
  2. Cut Chrysanthemum – single stem
  3. Gladioli – 3 stems of same variety
  4. Vase of crocosmia – 3 stems
  5. Cactus or succulent – 1 specimen
  6. Best pot plant
  7. Top vase – between 5 and 10 stems of at least 2 varieties of any flower
  8. Five cut roses

Jam and Chutney – made since 2013 Village Show

  1. Jam – Any fruit
  2. Jelly – Any fruit
  3. Chutney – All ingredients to be listed on label
  4. Marmalade – Any fruit
  5. Curd – Any fruit

Baking

  1. Blueberry Muffins – 3 on a plate
  2. Ingredients and instructions for Blueberry Muffins

  3. Fruit cake – any size /type of fruit
  4. Plain Scones 5 on a plate
  5. Cheese Scones 5 on a plate
  6. Sausage Rolls 5 on a plate – shortcrust pastry
  7. Bread – 5 White rolls,made by hand
  8. Bread – Wholemeal loaf
  9. Millionaire Shortbread 5 on a plate

Craft Section

  1. Knitted handicraft item completed since last year
  2. Hard handicraft item completed since last year (woodwork/pottery/metal)
  3. An item of patchwork or quilting
  4. A hand-made greetings card.
  5. Any sewn item, including clothes
  6. Photography – Title – People’s pets

Miscellaneous

  1. Six Brown eggs
  2. Six White eggs
  3. Bottle of Home made wine
  4. Bottle of home made sloe gin. Made in last 2 years
  5. Bottle of home made miscellaneous liquor, any flavour/type

Children’s Section (under 15)

  1. Photograph Title ‘People’s pets’
  2. Animal made from vegetables and/or flowers
  3. A scarecrow (as big as you like)
  4. A decorated ginger bread man Age up to and including 10 years
  5. A decorated ginger bread man made by entrant Age 11 and over
  6. A decorated hard boiled egg
  7. Something made from a kit eg. Woodwork,models, Soft toy
  8. Painting Title ‘My house’ Age up to and including 10 yrs
  9. Painting Title ‘My house’ Age 11 and over
  10. Food for Life Lunch box (not more than 6 items total)

RULES AND CONDITIONS

  1. The show will be under the management of the Great Gidding Show Committee 2013.
  2. It is not necessary to live in Great Gidding to exhibit at the show.
  3. All exhibits must be the work of/or grown by the exhibitor.
  4. The Committee cannot be held responsible for the loss of any exhibit.
  5. Entry Fee is 20p per exhibit. There is no restriction on the number of entries in any one class but only the highest placed points will be counted towards cup awards.
  6. The schedule will be strictly adhered to and any exhibit not according to the schedule will be disqualified.
  7. Exhibits may be brought to the Village Hall on the day of the show between 10 am and 12 noon. No entries will be accepted after 12 noon.
  8. Cups/Trophies will be awarded to the exhibitor gaining the most points in all sections. The winner will hold the cup for 1 year. The Cups/Trophies remain the property of the Committee.
  9. Certificates will be awarded for 1st 2nd and 3rd in all classes, except those of the longest, heaviest, etc, when a certificate will be awarded to the winner only.
  10. Point scoring will be: 1st 6 points, 2nd 4 points, 3rd 2 points. The best entry of multiple entries to score.
  11. The Judges’ decision is final and the committee reserves the right to cancel or amalgamate classes.

NOTE
All exhibits will be raffled unless exhibitors indicate otherwise at registration. Exhibitors must remove non-raffle items immediately after the prize giving. The proceeds of the raffle will be given to a Parish Charity.

Aunt Sally at The Fox & Hounds – photos

Aunt Sally at The Fox & Hounds - photos

The weather didn’t deter us hardy villagers from turning out to join in the fun of playing the now traditional August Bank Holiday Monday game of Aunt Sally at The Fox & Hounds. Contestants came in all ages (2 and upwards) and nationalities (Slovakian, Folksworthian to name just a couple) and the new pitch layout proved a great success as there were several ‘oooohhhhs’ and ‘aaaahhhhs’ as dolly legitimately hit the dust (soggy grass). A hushed whisper went round the crowd when Michael produced his own set of ‘sticks’ from a shopping bag… but we soon realised they weren’t magic ones after all.

Yummy feast

The mid-game break was a yummy feast as several people had been very busy making a variety of pies and sandwiches. Lesley Alexander’s ‘Breakfast Pie’ with quails eggs and Julie Trolove’s Fidget pie were delicious – as I’m sure were all the other goodies on offer.

And this year’s winner…

So, onto the final scores and I’m especially delighted to announce the winner of this year’s trophy is… da dah… Paul Crank! Paul also received the bottle of bubbly stuff and, as is customary, a kiss from the bubbly stuff sponsor’s wife.

Thank you very much to Michael, The Fox & Hounds and all of the contributors to a great afternoon.

Aunt Sally and Pork Pies

Aunt Sally and  Pork Pies

August 25th 2pm Gidding Time @ the pub

The Annual August Bank Holiday Aunt Sally Tournament

Its back, the tournament you can’t say no to. Monday August 25th sees the annual Aunt Sally Tournament starting at 2pm Great Gidding time. This is in addition to the regular Thursday evening game which has been extended from its original 8 week run to the end of August. Three things of note, that  the weather has been quite summery, we now have some regular players and the skill level is still woeful. There are occasional glimmers of fine play but these are usually short lived.

My thanks to Ian Alexander for taking on the game for the rest of the summer and our hosts at the Fox & Hounds for allowing such a silly game to be played.

If anyone would like to sponsor this event, I’m sure we can find a suitable category to place your donation.

This year the food theme is Pork Pies. Currently patrons of the Fox & Hounds are researching quality Pork Pies and the Aunt Sally Tournament is an ideal event to expand the research so if you have a favourite Pork Pie either bought or home made then bring it along for a taste test,  actually any pie will be warmly  welcome  Game, Vegetarian or  Sausage.

 

Previously……….

Mid-summers day dawn

Mid-summers day dawn

The time lapse camera crew have been out and about again.

The latest video is of dawn breaking over the Jubilee Wood in Great Gidding on Saturday  21st June 2014. The camera was set to record from first light which occurred at around 3.50 am.  The street lights on Main Street are on. The camera ran until 8 am.

Things to look out for include an early bird, Swallows swooping over the pond at about 7. 25 am, a Magpie and a couple of Corvids (Crows or Rooks) having a splash and a Rabbit.

The Camera used is a Brinnio BCC 100 and was set to record a photo every second.

Time-lapse video of Aunt Sally at the Fox and Hounds

Time-lapse video of Aunt Sally at the Fox and Hounds

Some of you may have noticed grown men (and women) disappearing out of the back of the Fox and Hounds on a Thursday night. Well here’s what’s been going on…

Quite disappointing really!

Thanks to Michael for organising and for the time-lapse footage and to the Fox and Hounds for hosting.

PS. The Giddings now has a YouTube channel. If anyone has Giddings related video and want to share it then email Paul and he’ll give you login details (and instructions if needed).

Remember! Great Gidding Village Show – Saturday 6th September.

Remember! Great Gidding Village Show – Saturday  6th September.

After such a wet start to the year it’s been good to see the sunshine and feel the soil warming up a bit.

There’s been lots of activity on the allotments and the annual anxieties of whether it’s too early or too late to sow or plant out have been occupying most of the conversations. Seeds are finally germinating in the warmer soil but many of us don’t fully trust the weather and have been starting seeds off in modules.

Vegetables and prize winning flowers

Hopefully there’s room in your gardens for some vegetables as well as prize winning flowers. This is a good time as hopes are high but don’t forget to prepare as best you can for all the pests and diseases which are waiting round the corner… use netting on brassicas against the cabbage white butterflies and put fine mesh over the carrot rows if you want to stop the pesky carrot root flies from laying their eggs in your beautiful prize winning exhibits.

Children too!

We’re really pleased that we’ve already had some requests for schedules from other areas and hope that we might get more entries from children this year, especially as the cup awarded for the winner of the Children’s section is worth having on display!

Who’s the best at cooking?

Remember, the baking section is open to all, so let’s have more men trying their cooking skills against those of the ladies. Go on, give it a try…

For schedules/queries please contact Sue Jarvis. E-mail: jartrap@aol.com or tel: 01832 293271.

'poached egg plant' Limnanthes douglasii] which the bees love and everyone should grow to encourage pollinators into their garden!

‘Poached egg plant’ (Limnanthes douglasii) which the bees love and everyone should grow to encourage pollinators into their garden!

Spring walking

Spring walking

Spring is certainly here!

We’re even having a few dare I say it much needed April showers. But don’t let these put you off heading out for a walk, cycle or ride.

It’s amazing how pleasurable a walk in the rain can be. The whole walk can be transformed into a glorious experience, as long as you’re dressed for it & you don’t get cold.

Firstly the smell of rain on spring flowers, hedges & grasses is a delight, not to mention the sensation of it landing on your face & hands.

I was out in the rain this week & a kind lady in a car pulled up beside me & asked me if I needed a lift. She was surprised when I said I was enjoying a leg stretch in the rain!

Don’t get into the habit that you only do things when the weather is fine & sunny & to dismiss the rain or dull chilly weather as bad! This is very easily slipped into & the problem is we miss out on so much that is going on around us in our lovely countryside.

So go on, get out there & experience all weathers. It’s so exhilarating & really makes you feel alive & brings you into the present moment.

Things to look out for : Birds building nests & looking for worms, swallows newly returned from far away & dancing in our skies. Skylarks above your head singing. Cowslips, May blossom,bees working the blossoms. Cows turned out to summer grazing. Horses enjoying the spring grass, perhaps without their winter rugs & lots & lots more.

Enjoy!

Rachel

Great Gidding Aunt Sally Tournament 2013 – photos

Great Gidding Aunt Sally Tournament 2013 – photos

The 2013 Great Gidding Aunt Sally Tournament on August Bank Holiday was blessed with fine weather and a good crowd. Michael organised a well run event with six throws per person per round and six rounds in all. A good turnout meant there was plenty of time between throws for a chat and catching up with village gossip. And Chris at the Fox and Hounds ensured we were topped up with drinks and a selection of sandwiches. There was a real competitive spirit throughout the afternoon as most people didn’t want to take the ‘Marmite Challenge’ – an extra element added by Michael at several points during the tournament for the worst throw/silliest moment/hopeless cause!

…We’d all like to say a BIG thank you to Michael for organising such a fun afternoon.

A message from the organiser…

Thank you everyone for your support. A worthy winner and runner up, Mathew and Adam. Thank you Calum and Patrick for keeping the scoreboard updated, Paul and Krystyna for the sponsorship fizz and Chris at the Fox and Hounds for some excellent sandwiches and finally thanks for the Met Office for a correct weather forecast.

Regards Michael.

Photos: Great Gidding School Summer Fete 2013

Photos: Great Gidding School Summer Fete 2013

What a cracking day for the school fete! Scorching sun brought lots of parents, children and village residents along to Great Gidding School on Saturday 6th July for the annual school fete.

This year a very special guest, Warwick Davis, kindly opened the fete and made us all laugh with his warmth and wit – along with some very unpretentious name-dropping! Lots of stalls displaying everything from temporary tattoos to tempting cupcakes kept everyone happy and the afternoon was a great success.