Overhead view of the Hawkshead Agricultural Show, Cumbria. Photograph: Archie Brown

Country diary: Rosettes and rhubarb at the agricultural show

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Hawkshead, Lake District: It’s always a long but wonderful day, full of vintage tractors, fell running and competitive veg

After a break of five years due to bad weather and Covid-19, the Hawkshead show returned this year to showers and sunshine. Agricultural shows are key events in the Lake District calendar, where locals and visitors meet to share a day of competitions and socialising.

I have many happy memories of showing sheep at Hawkshead, but this year the reduced format meant that there were, sadly, no sheep on the field. Instead, I take the dogs to compete in the dog show. We had had a very successful Ravenstonedale show recently, winning the best small dog and best puppy prizes.

After our entry fee of £1 was paid, we joined the throng of people and their animals waiting for the pet classes. The working dogs were shown first – sheepdogs, terriers and lurchers – followed by the pets. I had entered Elsie, a wire-haired dachshund, in the cutest puppy class. We did not win this time, but Elsie enjoyed herself meeting all the other dogs and I enjoyed chatting to other farmers.

Tractors on show at Hawkshead. Photograph: Archie Brown

We then sat in the back of the Land Rover to eat our sandwiches. The sounds of the show swirled around us, the Tannoy announcing fell runners coming into the field (“Here’s a local runner coming in, in third place!”) and calling people for competitions (“Can we please have the remaining competitors for the mounted fancy dress pony class to the ring now? And don’t forget the tug-of-war later today.”) Small children ran past with water pistols, shooting each other and screaming with delight.

Shows can be long days; I have been known to have a quick sleep in the Land Rover after lunch, but today I was straight back into the show to look at the vintage tractors lining one side of the fields, and the industrial classes in the barn. There were some wonderful felted sheep in the craft section, and an array of vegetables grown locally. I studied the rhubarb closely as I have a lot in my garden. What makes a winner? Big thick stalks and having the leaves left on seemed to be important to my untrained eye. Maybe I could enter rhubarb into local competitions in the future.

I’m not generally competitive, but where there are marquees, rosettes and other farmers to beat, it does bring out a desire to do well.

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