Hemyock: Hemyock Gardeners’ Association Autumn Show 2007

Despite the seasonal irregularities of 2007, the intrepid members of the Hemyock Gardeners’ Association put on a great show on Saturday 1st September 2007. The weather has not been the only enemy this year - they’ve fought off caterpillars, slugs, snails, rabbits, puppies (Ben, Coco, Khoo, Charlie, Bramley and Slotti) and even deer in their determination to ensure ‘the Show must go on!’

The vegetable entries may have been down on last year but Denis Hart's contribution to the various classes took pride of place winning him the St Ivel Gold Cup for most points in those classes as well as being awarded the Shield for the best exhibit in the veg classes.

Entrants were inspired by the classes in the Floral Art Section which included: Remembering Diana, “Berried” Treasure, Autumn Bliss and “Just a Minute”. Remembering Diana produced five entries – Christine Carver (1st) created a vibrant arrangement of fiery reds and cool blues, while Lizzie Sherwood (2nd) went for a more sombre black and white display. A popular choice of the viewing public was young Vicki Sherwood’s remembrance – with pink lilies, 10 vigil candles and a selection of photographs. This was the first time she had entered a floral display, although, at only 14 years old and the youngest HGA member, she is already a seasoned competitor in the Culinary Classes.

Last year she shared the Clayhidon W.I. Trophy with veteran cook Brenda Caulfield – this year she scraped ahead by one point to win it outright (Bread Pudding 3rd, Pasty 1st, Fancy Cakes 2nd and Apple Strudel 2nd). Afterwards Vicki said – “I love cooking but it’s a lot easier to make things I enjoy eating! I’ve never made a traditional pasty before but I often make cakes for my friends or take them into school to share with my tutor group. The Apple Strudel was quite complicated so I won’t be attempting that in my GCSE exams! And I’d never even heard of Bread Pudding – the only recipe I could find was in my great-grandmother’s Mrs Beeton’s Cookbook! I needed two goes at it – the first one got fed to the birds!”

The entries in the various flower and floral art classes created a wonderful dazzling array to greet the visitors to the show. The jewel like colours of late summer flowers along with the warm rustic shades of autumn were a pure delight.

Although Christine Carver took first place in 3 of the 4 classes the best exhibit in Floral Art went to Maggie Cork whose striking rich display of reds, oranges and yellows in Berried Treasure gave the impression of a warm welcoming open fire.

The number of visitors appeared to be down on previous shows which must have been disappointing but those who did attend were able to enjoy the hard work of the Gardeners Association and youngsters inspired by all that achieved by Vicki Sherwood.

Hemyock Gardeners’ Association Autumn Show 2007

Sunday, September 02 2007 @ 06:05 PM BST