Jul
2011
Royal Norfolk Show 2011
Last week was also the Royal Norfolk Show and having sprinted down from Harrogate, the very next day I was setting up my stand at the show! Phew – that was exhausting. Breckland Orchard was in the Food Hall, dishing out masses of samples of ‘posh pop’
I wouldn’t miss the Royal Norfolk for anything…..its the first thing to go in the events diary every year. It’s a really traditional rural show, with its roots in agriculture but there’s certainly something for everyone there. The crowds were swelled this year by the public sector strike that took place on Thursday 30th, with so many schools closed, many people decided to come along to the show instead. I hope that lots of people got to see the spectacle for the first time and realise what a great event it is.
The Food Hall was buzzing – especially on the Thursday. I loved this ‘patriotic’ stand by Cornerways Nurseries……….filled with tomatoes and really eye-catching!
The cookery theatre was as popular as ever – and King of Macarons himself Dr Tim Kinnaird was demo-ing on both days!
My favourite highlights were:
- Meeting so many friends – old and new, Twitter pals and other exhibitors
- Having Jake Humphrey come to the stand and buy a bottle of Posh Pop
- Having a debate with the Norfolk icon David Clayton about the merits of Dandelion and Burdock, and whether mine could match his favourite tipple
- Having my mum, stepdad, and step uncle there for the two days – we spent a lot of time laughing!
Post-show there’s been lots of debate in the EDP about the price of the show – advance tickets are £48 for a family of 5 [two adults and 3 children] plus £6 car parking. There are a lot of folk who feel that that prices them out. But its a really large event, running from 7.30am to 6pm. You would need to sprint around to get to see everthing in one day. There is really something there for everyone. I hope people compare prices to other ‘family day outs’ nearby before taking such umbrance – Banham Zoo would be £63, Bewilderwood £49, Dinosaur Adventure £53. It’s a once a year extravaganza x