Village show and no idea.

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clairebeau

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Village show and no idea.
« on: August 27, 2012, 21:24 »
It's the village show on Saturday and only 10p per class so I'm keen to join in and play along but desperately scratching around for things to enter as all our produce is either eaten by pests or tiny.

So... if I was to enter small potatoes would it matter?  How would the judge know which variety they are? As maybe they're meant to be small  ::)  ...and plums, the poor tree has hardly any on this year but they're are some and I have to find 8. How ripe should they be do you think? ...and shall I pick them now in readiness for Saturday? We don't have anything else only skinny leeks and munched cabbages  :)  Oh, but we do have brambles, and there's a class for blackberries, maybe we could grab a plateful of them...but when do I pick them?!  I'm useless  ::) (wish you were all here in real life)

Any help will be greatly received.

Right, I'm off now to make some jam and practice my sponge cake recipe, rustle up a painting, a knitted jumper and a vegetable animal for the other classes too  :D :D

Claire. x


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mattwragg94

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2012, 09:09 »
hi claire, at my local show all classes are judges on three things uniformity, size, freshness. So im basing my answer on how my show is judged!

The potatoes need to be all the same size/shape/colour. when you mean small, how small? new potato small?

The plums should be fresh, ripe and sweet, in my show all the fruit shouldn't be cleaned, as they want them to look like they have just been pulled off of the tree and had nothing done to them! My only worry about picking the now for the show on saturday is that the skins will rinkle!

The brambles should be picked on the day to ensure freshness, and by all means enter them, we too have a class a plate of fruit and alot of bramble are entered in that.

Oh and regarding the sponge cake, i was speaking to the judge at our after the show and she always gets a good sponge when she chucks all of the ingredients in the mixer and truns it on, and TBH thats all i do too and i always get a good sponge!

oh and a basic recipe for a sponge is equal quantities of eggs, sugar, flour and marg!


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Mrs Bee

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #2 on: August 28, 2012, 09:21 »
If you are showing jam make sure you polish the glass jars after making the jam.

With the sponge use all butter you will get a better flavour and beat it with the sugar first rather than the all in one method that you can do with soft margarine. Or use a soft spreadable butter for the all in one method. That gives a good cake and a beter flavour than marg.

8 oz butter, 8oz SR flour, 8 oz caster sugar, 4 eggs
2 tsps baking powder the baking powder gived it the edge.
grated rind of a lemon or orange ;) ;)

In 2 20cm sandwich tins

What about making some microwave lemon curd and using that to fill a sponge.

 I have other cake ideas depending on the categories you have if you would like them just ask.

Will check this evening as I am having a well deserved day out today.

If you don't have too much fresh produce to show this year showcase your cooking skills.


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clairebeau

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2012, 19:20 »
Awwww...!!! Thanks for your help and suggestions, I don't feel so alone now  :)

Well the sponge class is a tricky one as it's chocolate and you have to follow a set basic recipe??? I can't decorate it, but I have to fill it with a chocolate butter cream for which it doesn't give you any recipe for. Any ideas?

There is a class for 6 fruit scones. Shall I have a bash?

The jam...now I know I'm leaving it late (making it this evening) as we've EATEN  :ohmy: :D what I'd planned to show, and that is the rhubarb and vanilla jam that Aunt Sally shared for me... over on the cooking section. It's rather yummy.

So that's it for the cookery classes for me.

I'm entering some photos in the photography section and also a drawing of my allotment for a craft class.  I'll post a photo of it.

I have some pink fir apple potatoes that are possibly too small but I want to play along so I'll take them. The plum tree is worse than I thought, lots of creatures are scoffing what few fruits it has produced this year but we'll see what I can grab, I need 8.  Then that leaves the blackberries and I'll collect those on Saturday. 

Oh, I can make a fruit and veg animal... :lol: shall I have a bash?

Wishing you could come too, we could have tea and cake together.

Thank you and big loves. xxx

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clairebeau

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2012, 19:29 »
My entry into the painting class, even though it's ink, not paint, but the class is any other medium other than oil, which is a different class. I'm rather proud of it  :)

allotment drawing.JPG

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2012, 20:02 »
If you are making a chocolate sponge. Use the same ingredients given and add 2 tablespoons of Rowntree's cocoa powder mixed to a paste with 3 tablespoons of boiling water. Let it cool and add it to the creamed butter and sugar mix.

Do use unsalted butter for the flavour and beat it with the sugar until it is nearly white ;) Then add the cocoa powder mix.

Use Rowntree's cocoa powder because it has a darker and more intense flavour than any of the others.

Does it have to be a chocolate butter icing? or could you fill with a chocolate ganache?

Can you tweak the basic recipe in any way?
This recipe is for  a grown up chocolate butter icing  
6oz dark chocolate not the 50% cocoa solids as that can  be a little too bitter
3oz unsalted butter

Soften the butter.
Melt the chocolate either in a basin over  a pan of hot water or on a very low power in the microwave.
Add the melted chocolate to the butter, leave till cool and whisk in a mixer like crazy until it goes light and fluffy, then fill the sponge.

I don't know if you would be allowed but I would also make some of the chocolate mix and spread a layer on the sponge before spreading on the fluffy mixture to give a contrast in textures and colour.

I don't make cocoa powder and icing sugar butter creams as I find them too sweet.
I also add 2 tablespoons of made expresso coffee too to give a grown up taste. Not sure if that will be allowed.

Scone recipe as follows. This is a basic scone recipe;you could make a Devon scone which is heavy  on the butter  by using 6oz butter:D

Don't use marg, butter tastes much better.

1lb SR flour
4 oz or 6oz unsalted butter  
4oz caster sugar
 pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 pint milk
2 eggs
8oz sultanas soaked in hot water over night. Drained and dried. This make your dried fruit moist

RUb butter into the flour, salt and baking powder until breadcrumbs. You can do this part in a food processor.

Tip flour and butter mix into a bowl,
Stir in sugar and sultanas.
then mix the eggs and milk together and stir this into the mix with a round bladed knife until it just comes together.
Tip the mix onto a very well floured work surface and pat the mix until it is about 3/4 of an inch deep..
Use a plain round cutter dipped in flour to cut out your scones.

Do NOT OVER WORK OR OVER HANDLE or they will go tough
place them on a greased baking tray or a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Must be parchment not greaseproof paper.
Brush the tops with milk or some beaten egg
Bake at 210C for about 10 minutes....... I brush mine with milk and sprinkle them with some caster sugar.

I do this recipe soaking sultanas in lemon juice, adding lemon rind to the mix and serving with cream and homemade lemon curd ;)

Haven't they got a free choice section for cakes?

Hope this helps me dear. :D

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clairebeau

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2012, 20:55 »
Wish you lived nextdoor  :)

There are lots of other cookery classes but restricted for the W.I. members. Although I visited a different W.I. earlier on in the year I didn't join :o( I have 2 boys that are just a little too young to leave alone in the evenings, but I have plans to join in the future. Are you a member of one?

There is an apple pie class and a pickle/chutney class I enter but I don't want to overface myself. Besides, I have NEVER done this before and I'll be on my own (friends and family all away, pfft!) so I need to just enjoy it and eat all the cakes  ::)

The wording for the cake class is as follows...
Chocolate sandwich cake, undecorated, made to set recipe, which is then listed. I actually know the cookery judge (ex husbands Aunty) and she's lovely so I'm sure it won't be an unfriendly affair, but she doesn't know I'm entering.

Right, I need to go and bleach my kids, they've not had a bath for weeks!

x x x

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2012, 21:06 »
No I am not a member of the WI. Thought about it, but after listening to my sister's tales about the one she and her friend go to, I don't think I will bother.

I am not keen on organisations with rules and commitees. Very much a 'just do it' sort of person. And I know I would end up being banned for saying or doing the wrong thing or questioning silly rules. ::)

Some of the tales she tells smacks of petty and silly so I will carry on doing my own thing.  :lol:

I have more than enough to occupy me at the moment.

Don't bleach and scrub the boys too hard, a bit of dirt is good for them. Helps to build up their immune systems. :lol: :lol:

Do tell let us know how you get on with your entries. I think your picture  :)is great.

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sunshineband

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2012, 21:27 »
Clairebeau, as well as polishing the jars with your jam/jelly in, don't forget to use plain white jar lids

Not too late to make bramble jelly either  :D
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clairebeau

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2012, 11:31 »
WHITE LIDS...?!!   :ohmy: I don't have any white ones, just recycled jam jars with their original lids. They don't have any company names on, but they're not white, I hope they'll be ok.

Oh well...I'm going to have to pray the jam taste just knocks spots off the others.  :unsure:
(please tell me I won't be disqualified) xxx

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Salmo

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2012, 18:14 »
Read the show schedule carefully. If they ask for 4 white potatoes that is what they want. If they ask for an 8 inch cake they will disquallify a 9 inch cake.

Guidance on potatoes for show from the RHS handbook:
MeritsMedium sized tubers of approx 175-225g each; shapely, clean,clear skinned; eyes few and shallow.
Defects
Tubers that are very small or very large, damaged skins, that are greening or have exessively deep eyes.
Advice to Judges
Look for clean, blemish free, medium sized uniform tubers, well shaped with shallow eyes.

Some judges just pick out the best 3 for prizes. If competition is close they may use the RHS scoring system
Condition   5 points
Uniformity  5 points
Size           3 points
Shape        4 points
Eyes           3 points
Total          20 points.

This year look at all the classes and try to see why the awards have been given or why other entries have missed out. Sometimes judges write helpfull comments on the cards.

All cookery classes will be tasted so good looking cakes or jam may not win.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2012, 18:19 by Salmo »

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clairebeau

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2012, 20:59 »
OK guys...well firstly and in my book the most important thing, I had a fabulous time!!!

We never stopped laughing and smiling all weekend. The encouragement to just take part was huge.

Right, well here goes:

THE JAM...2nd!!!!!!  To say I was excited to the point of probably doing a little wee would probably right  :D :D

My plums, that I almost left at home because I thought I had picked them too soon came 1st!!  I have to admit here though that they were the only entry in that class  :lol:

The scones...I made 2 batches at midnight the night before  :closedeyes: and they couldn't have looked or tasted more different (?) well I picked what I thought were the best and they got 3rd!!!! 

My other entries were for craft, painting and photography and I was amazed and thrilled that my photo of the canal over the road from my house got me a 1st!!!

My pink fir apples didn't get placed but were the cause of much laughter so I'm
glad I entered them, laughing is my favourite  :lol: ...and the chocolate cake wasn't placed (but tasted delish!)

I've done a little picture of the day, I hope it comes out on here for you to see. PLUS, I went to another show the day after...I'm all showed out now but had such a lovely weekend...check out the picture of that one too.

A huge THANK YOU for helping and encouraging me.

M.Show collage.JPG
S.Show collage.JPG

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Yorkie

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2012, 21:00 »
Well done!
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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Mrs Bee

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Re: Village show and no idea.
« Reply #13 on: September 06, 2012, 10:33 »
Well done you clever talented lady. :D



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