Great Yorkshire Show Archives - Page 3 of 10

Climate change: sunshine and showers a year after record heat in Harrogate district

What a difference a year makes.

This time last year, the Harrogate district was baking in record temperatures approaching 40C.

Last year’s hot weather, which came amid warnings about the impact of extreme heat, saw several schools close for the day.

Some businesses shut their doors, while others only opened for a few hours. Bin collections started early and were called off as the heat increased.

Dog owners and parents of small children were also out and about earlier than usual, trying to avoid the peak temperatures.

Dog walkers were out early before it got too hot

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was among many around the UK to declare a major incident because of the level of demand it was facing. Harrogate and District Foundation Trust also said its services were under higher than usual pressure thanks to the weather.

However, the trust was also offering a more indulgent way for patients on its wards to keep cool – it handed out ice creams and lollies during the day.

Care homes were also ensuring elderly and vulnerable residents kept cool and hydrated. Vida Healthcare‘s chefs made jelly sweets, each containing 20ml of water, to help.

Today, however, the forecast is for top temperatures of no more than half that figure, with sunshine and showers through the day. The forecast for the coming fortnight remains similar, after heavy rain and thunder storms hit the district this month.

Heavy showers at last week’s Great Yorkshire Show

Meanwhile, Europe is experiencing an extended heatwave and hitting highs in the mid-40s every day.

The extreme weather is said to be caused by climate change, with experts predicting we will face more high temperatures in future.

Mike Kendon from the Met Office said:

“While the UK has always had periods of warm weather, what climate change does is increase the frequency and intensity of these warm weather events, increasing the likelihood of high temperature records being broken, like we saw for 2022’s annual temperature for the UK.

“It is particularly telling that of the 12 months of the year, for UK average maximum temperature the records for the warmest months include 2019 (February), 2018 (May), 2015 (December), 2012 (March), 2011 (April), 2011 (November), 2006 (July) and now 2023 (June).

“Statistics such as this clearly tell us of the changing nature of the UK’s climate and how it is particularly affecting extremes.”

Sell-out Great Yorkshire Show proves resilient in cost of living crisis

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

Despite the cost of living crisis, the 2023 Great Yorkshire Show was a sell-out with the rain appearing to have a bigger effect on sales than the economic climate.

The UK’s largest agricultural show saw 140,000 people pass through its gates over four days this week.

The four-day event sold out two weeks in advance even though ticket prices increased, setting you back £32 for an adult or £80 for a family. By comparison, they cost £29 and £75 last year.

Alistair Nixon, chief executive of Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the farming charity that organises the show, said:

“It is a difficult time – cost of living means prices are going up all the time and we do have to reflect that in our prices.

“However, we support our farmers as much as we can through the show, and I’ve seen the same level of loyalty this year as with any other year.”

Mr Nixon explained the charity “has hit its target and done what we needed to do” when asked if the economic state had caused a dip in sales.

Show director Charles Mills added:

“Everywhere I’ve been it’s been very busy.

“I’ve seen a lot of people with food and drinks, or walking out with bags, so that must be a good sign.”

Clothing trader Joules noted sales to be “around the same as last year”, but said its demographic “tend to come to the show and only shop here during the show”.

The Pavilions of Harrogate‘s outdoor bar saw record sales on the Thursday, but Friday’s rain slowed down final sales.

Fraser Holmes, event manager of Pavilions, told the Stray Ferret:

“In terms of what we’ve taken this year, I believe it to be around the same as last year.

“Thursday was our record day ever for sales – the sunshine really helped with that – and Friday’s rain then brought things back down a bit.

“People are still spending money I think.”

The show also saw a record number of sheep class entries that surpassed 3,000, as well as over 1,000 cattle and equine entries too.

Find more information on Yorkshire Agricultural Society here.

Yemi’s Food Stories: Sustainable takeaways from the Great Yorkshire Show

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

The Great Yorkshire, in its 164^th year, is the crème-de la crème of agricultural shows in the UK. Living in Harrogate means this show is close to my heart and for the past twelve years, I have looked out my window silently welcoming the vehicles travelling to the event.

You know my passion is food, so I wasn’t far from the food hall and cookery stages – the Great Yorkshire theatre and the Game theatre. I wished I could be in two places at the same time.

Tuesday kicked off with the cheese competition and there were many varieties of cheeses from hard to soft, savoury to sweet, butters and creams with award winners in all categories. The hives and honey pavilion was another fascinating place to be with hundreds of varieties of local honeys, shaped beeswax, bee products, honey displays, honey cakes and biscuits and alcoholic honey drinks made from fermenting honey and water with some flavours and spices resulting in really unique drinks.

My time at the Game Theatre introduced me to different game animals and birds as well as fly fishing and cooking trout in multiple ways. There was trout cured with Japanese flavours and finished with finger lime by chef Ben Wright (@that_chef_Ben), pan-cooked trout by Stephanie Moon and roasted loin of venison, served with a fondant potato, sublime parsnip purée, pickled blackberries, heritage carrots and venison jus by chef Mike Baldwin from Provenance Inns. There was also a wonderful venison summer tart by chef Mehdi Boukemach from Fodder.

The highlights from the cookery theatres included seeing the passion Yorkshire chefs have for their produces, their food, sustainable cooking and zero waste with many sharing tips on how they would use what most of us throw in the bin.

Sustainable takeaways I hope you try at home:

Onion skins – I use a lot of onions in my cooking caramelising them, flash frying them, making pepper blend with tomatoes, peppers, ginger and garlic. I always add onion skins to my stock or to my meat when braising them because I realised the skin has a lot of the flavour. Recently I made some onion skin powder by baking the skin in an oven until dried before blending to a fine powder. I use this as additional flavour for my onion-based dishes.

Herb oils – parsley, basil and chilli oils are well known, but you can do more with other herbs like dill tops, chives and spring onions. Most of us will throw away fennel fronds but they can be used to make herb oil.

Beetroot leaves – Fresh beetroots can often come with the green leafy parts but sometimes we only care about the beetroots themselves, so we chuck the leaves in the bin. The leaves are delicious sautéed with peppers and onions with spices.

I tried the smoothest vibrant green purée made from sautéed courgettes cooked in stock and blended with spinach. This was a revelation as many people only steam, pan fry or roast courgettes. It was nice to see courgettes used in a different way.

‘Salt baked turbot, caviar, cabbage, dill and lemon verbena’ by Shaun Rankin

It’s time to grow some our our own food. Farm to table, plot to table and nose to tail approaches to cooking shone through every demo with most restaurants having their own kitchen garden which is an encouragement for us to try and grow some of our own food.

Sustainable approaches to sourcing ingredients came through every chef demo session with most produces coming from local suppliers and only very rarely from outside of Yorkshire.

The variety of Yorkshire produces from cream, milk, cheeses, butter to Game, sea food from the coastlines to locally bred cows, lamb, Pork and chicken show us there are few to no reasons to not eat local. Entire meals can be created using only ingredients from Yorkshire so why not challenge yourself to do just that.

Future Stars

A final highlight for me is seeing young chefs who will be the future of Yorkshire food scene being mentored by chefs including chef Ahmed Abdalla from the Grand Hotel York whose chef, Harry Blades (@harry_blades_) won the Delifresh young chef of the year 2022 and chef Shaun Rankin mentoring young Sarah Szmit who in my opinion has a really promising future in food.

RHS Harlow Carr was well represented by their head gardener, Joe Lofthouse who provided Gilly Robinson (The Cook’s Place, Malton) with produce from the RHS garden and St Aidan’s school was well represented by a group of young ladies who made sweet and savoury dishes.

There is so much to write about so follow my food feature as I have lined up appointments with many chefs, restaurants and food companies and I will be bringing their stories to you. Watch this space.

I am doing chef demos at the Yorkshire Dale Food festivals next Saturday and will share some of my highlights from the event.

St Aidan’s students bring a taste of Italy to Great Yorkshire Show

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

Pupils of St Aidan’s School wowed the show crowds with a live cooking demonstration.

The Harrogate school was invited by Yorkshire Agricultural Society to demonstrate two “complex and highly skilled dishes” on the Great Yorkshire Food Theatre stage.

The year 10 GCSE food and nutrition students competed for a place in the spotlight and were tasked to make a challenging dish by teachers.

Teacher, Jenny Bettridge, said the judging was based on “the skill of the dish, as well as how well they presented it to the class – including discussing the dish they made.”

The four winners – Harriet, Grace, Izzy and Charlotte – cooked up a sweet and savoury open tart for the audience.

The pupils’ tarts.

Harriet and Grace produced an Italy-based pastry, baking the puff pastry from scratch, and topping it with tomatoes, pesto, ricotta, and serrano ham. Sue Nelson, host of the show’s food theatre, described it as “better than my own”.

Meanwhile, Izzy and Charlotte baked a fresh tart topped with custard, kiwi, summer berries, and topped with a strawberry coulis.

The students had pre-baked their pastry base but made fresh custard from scratch.

The girls demonstrated culinary skills and scientific knowledge of cooking, as Izzy made sure her custard “didn’t coagulate and become scrambled egg!”

Ms Betteridge told the Stray Ferret:

“I feel immensely proud that the pupils get to do this.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for young students and it’s a big thing to get on that stage.”

The girls attracted a crowd of hungry people who couldn’t wait to try their delicious dishes once finished.

GALLERY: The animals stole the show on day 3 of Great Yorkshire Show

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

Day 3 of the Great Yorkshire Show saw showjumping champions, celebrity specials, and award-winning livestock.

The long-awaited Ripon Select Foods Cock O’ the North drew in hundreds as the day came to a close. The event saw four trebles cleared by the end, but it was Annabel Shields on Creevagh Carisma, of County Durham, who took home title with more than two seconds in hand over the other three treble clears.

Ms Shields said:

“When you grow up in this area, it is the only thing you want to win.

“I never thought I would ride in it, let alone win it!”

TV presenter, Matt Baker MBE took centre stage at the Cheese and Dairy Show, while Peter Wright, the Yorkshire Vet, was a special guest in the Garden Show. Both also took a trip to the Forestry section and tried their hands horse logging and stick making.

The day also saw more award-winning cattle. The Blythewood Dairy Pairs title went to Messrs DN Lindsay’s Ayrshine junior cow, Mid Ascog Patricia III, while the Dairy Supreme Championship was taken home by Ian Collins and Partners.

The Supreme Beef Championship was won by a six-year-old British Simmental.

With more than 3,000 entries in sheep classes this year — a record number of entries — both MV and non-MV sheep went head-to-head in the Overall Supreme Championship, which was won by Suffolk from Stockport.

Julian Collings, of Cornwall, has been showing his pigs for 53 years and, today, took home The Supreme Pig Championship award with British Lop sow, Liskeard Lulu 59. This was Mr Collings’s first inter-breed win.

Charity, Sheffield Environmental Movement, were also at the show and brought a group of pupils from Fir Vale School in the city. A member of the charity, Maxwell Ayamba, regularly invites other groups from the area to the show, including Roshni Asian Women’s Resource Centre and Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association.

The final day of the Great Yorkshire Show is sold out – tickets will not be sold on the door.

The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days. Find out what’s on tomorrow here.

If you missed the show today, take a look at our gallery below for a sneak peek.

The Yorkshire Vet strutting his stuff on the catwalk. Pic: Great Yorkshire Show Website.

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show Website.

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show Website.

TV stars Peter Wright and Matt Baker MBE. Pic: Great Yorkshire Show Website.

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show Website.

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show Website.

Harrogate man swaps gamekeeping for glamour as Great Yorkshire Show fashion model

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

A young Harrogate man has swapped his rural work for a glamorous four-day modelling gig at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show.

Clarke Doughney,19, grew up in a family of gamekeepers who kept pheasants and rabbits, as well as training cocker spaniels to work since he was 6.

During this year’s show, however, Mr Doughney has joined eleven other amateurs to try his hand at modelling.

For the first time, the annual fashion show, invited local people with agricultural links to model, wanting “real people with a background in the industry.”

After posting the modelling job on social media, show organisers Yorkshire Agricultural Society, amassed over 80 applicants. Those with the closest links to the industry and the show were chosen to model.

“Sheep to Chic”- which takes place daily at 12.30pm on the sheep shearing stage — focusses on the sheep wool industry and showcases brands such as Brook Taverner and British Wool.

Some of the female models in action.

Jenn Chow, social media executive of Yorkshire Agricultural Society, said:

“We wanted local people in the industry to have a platform to showcase their businesses.

“The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is all about giving back to the community, so that’s what we wanted to do.”

Four professional models also took part in the fashion show, but fellow agricultural models have day jobs as wool cleaners to sheep farmers.

Mr Doughney said:

“It’s been so brilliant and the people have been great to work with.

“I’d say it’s been carnage…but in the best way.

“Who know, I might even try to pursue modelling now – but I suppose I can never use getting dressed as an excuse to be late again after this!”

The fashion show is free to attend and is located near the brown gate.

Tickets for the show have now sold out. Find more information about what’s on here.

Local artists make Great Yorkshire Show exhibition debut

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

Two local artists are making their Great Yorkshire Show exhibition debuts this year.

The art show invites Yorkshire-based artists to display their work to thousands of visitors to the Great Yorkshire Showground. Many of the exhibits draw inspiration from the beauty of the county.

This year work by 14 artists, who are on site, are on display. Their work includes ceramics, sculptures, paintings and textiles.

The art show is free to attend with show admission and can be found in Food Hall 1.

Johnny Sunter

Stone sculptor Johnny Sunter, who lives in Ripon, is displaying his ceramics in what is his first ever visit to the agricultural show.

Mr Sunter studied at Leeds College of Art but “did nothing but daft jobs” after his studies. Twenty-five years later, during lockdown, Mr Sunter realised his passion lies with his art and decided to take the time to venture down a career change.

Three years later, he is displaying his limestone ceramics in the art show of the largest agricultural show in the UK.

He said:

“I realised that those jobs weren’t worth it.

“The most important thing to me now is that I wake up and I’m happy – it’s a really good life.”

Mr Sunter basis his work on stories he develops from Greek mythology, as well as references from brutalist architecture.

“Those ugly buildings that most people hate…I love those.

“I take reference from the buildings and their shape and fuse them with stories I create – and I end up with this.”

His work displayed at the show tells the story of The Idol stealing various elements of the world until it is finally caught.

He said he’s “delighted to be here and meet other artists” at the show.

Mr Sunter currently has another exhibition on display at Cole’s Gallery in Leeds.

Find more information on Mr Sunter’s work here.

Jess with her paintings

Jess Kidd

Harrogate-born painter, Jess Kidd, is bringing a taste of the West Yorkshire landscapes to the showground.

Ms Kidd, who now lives in Keighley, takes inspiration from the towns industrial roots and blends them with the surroundings of her home in hopes to “shed a positive light on an area that’s often knocked.”

Due to dyslexia, she “struggled to learn to talk and used art and creativity as a means of communication” as a child.

After also studying art at Leeds Art College, Ms Kidd worked with children with severe and complex needs.

Shortly after, however, she fell unwell with tuberculosis and was unable to work. During this time, her love for art was reignited and gave her the opportunity to dabble again.

During covid, Ms Kidd undertook cognitive behavioural therapy and used the tools learned in these sessions to ease her into art as a full-time career.

She said:

“I think I initially just wanted to prove that I could work again after falling ill, but I realised I had neglected the time to be creative.

“I now use the lessons I learned through CBT in my work.

“The first layers will always be about letting myself experiment with shapes and colour, and not putting pressure on myself about the final piece.

“I hope this positivity translates through my work.”

Ms Kidd currently has another exhibition on display at South Square Gallery, near Bradford.

More information can be found on Jess Kidd’s website.

GALLERY: Conservation, cheese and cattle take centre stage at Great Yorkshire Show

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID

Successes in agriculture and champion cattle, cheese, pigeons and forestry were recognised on day two of the Great Yorkshire Show.

Spectators were treated to the stunt riding of Lorenzo in the main ring and Adam Henson’s chat show returned to the GYS stage.

The day also saw the supreme pigeon award presented to a Chinese Owl from Huworth.

The third national cattle championship at the show, the British Charolais, went to a two-year-old heifer, Marne Sweetpea, owned by Robert Tremayne and Nicola Osgood of Kent.

Day two also saw the inaugural farmland curlew award developed by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and Nidderdale AONB to reward famers who make a significant contribution to curlew conservation — won by two Cumbrian beef and sheep farmers.

Future Farmers also had their flagship annual get-together and held a panel-led discussion.

York Community Woodland, owned by City of York Council and tenanted by Forestry England, took home the John Broddy trophy for the best new woodland in Yorkshire awarded by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, Royal Forestry Society and Forestry Commission.

Tickets for the show have now sold out and will not be available on the gate. The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days. To see what is happening on which day, visit here.

Take a look at the gallery below to catch up on today’s highlights.

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Mill Hill School pupils celebrating their success

Horticap’s award-winning garden

The Yorkshire Air Ambulance team

A hound class

Artist: Jonny Sunter

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Biscuit of Farlavale Gun Dogs

Pic: Great Yorkshire Show website

Harrogate caterer who serves monarchs at Great Yorkshire Show celebrates 60th birthday

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

A Harrogate caterer who has served a number of royals celebrated his 60th birthday and 21 years of catering at the Great Yorkshire Show yesterday.

Ian King, owner of King’s Catering, founded the company with his wife 27 years ago and, for 21 of those, has served thousands of people every day when the annual show takes place.

The traditional royal visit means Mr King has prepared meals for King Charles III, Princess Anne, and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

He said the current monarch “loves smoked salmon sandwiches and loose Earl Grey tea”, while his sister “always asks for ginger beer”.

Monarchs are provided with a checklist to indicate their likes and dislikes ahead of the show and, said Mr King, only request “the use of local produce”.

The company initially served canapes at the agricultural show but took on the challenge of catering for the entire show in 2012.

That same year, the show was rained off after just the first day. With heaps of leftover stock and a heavy heart, it’s fair to say Mr King described this as his least favourite memory of the show…

The Great Yorkshire Show generates “10% of the company’s annual turnover”, according to Mr King, and is “the busiest and biggest week of the year.”

He said covid was a “very cruel” time for the company but added:

“We’re back and we’re bigger and stronger than ever. This show is what we work towards all year.

“Providing breakfast on the first day goes well the rest of the show is plain sailing!”

Mr King arrives at the showground at 4am each day during show week to prepare and said “the camaraderie of it all makes it so enjoyable”.

This year, the caterer spent his milestone 60th birthday cooking up a storm for the Duke of Gloucester – and thousands of other show attendees.

Find more information on King’s Catering here.

GALLERY: Royal visit marks start of Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Show

This story is sponsored by Harrogate BID.

A royal visit, a new fashion show and two national cattle championships were among the highlights of day one of the Great Yorkshire Show.

The Duke of Gloucester was taken on a tour by show director Charles Mills and Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire Jo Ropner.

Despite the downpour, spirits remained high and the annual show is in full swing.

Thousands gathered to eat, drink, compete, and observe as celebrities were spotted and trophies were won.

Industry leaders and MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee discussed species reintroductions across the country, while TV star Adam Henson led a talk on the challenges faced and opportunities available in farming.

The Yorkshire Pelargonium and Geranium Society took home the first competitive cup of the show for the best exhibit in the garden show, and the President’s Award of the Curzon-Howe Rosebowl went to Harrogate’s very own Horticap.

In the sheep rings, two new breeds, the Badgerface Texel and Castlemilk Moorits, were competing, while next door the shearing stage saw the new Sheep to Chic Fashion Show, featuring the best of British wool garments worn by professional models and volunteers from the rural community.

Tickets for the show have now sold out. Tickets will not be available on the gate. The opening times are 8am to 6pm on all four days. To see what is happening on which day, visit here.

You can relive more day one highlights here. Below is a gallery.