Photographer Andy Bulmer captures some of the highlights at one of the country’s leading countryside events
Near record numbers of competitors and visitors headed to the 158th Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate this summer. Just a few short of 135,111 visitors attended the three-day event including the first female Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and former Environment Secretary Liz Truss. She toured the show and visited the showground’s new £11.5m exhibition hall which was transformed into a Food Hall for the occasion.
The show’s new director Charles Mills said it was a superb showcase for the farming industry. And it also proved to be a great shop window for British food, attracting 800 entries across a wide range of classes in cheese and dairy as well as a wide variety of stalls stacked with locally grown and prepared produce. Many of the region’s leading chefs, including favourites Rosemary Shrager, Stephanie Moon and James Mackenzie, were at the show either taking part in cookery demonstrations or sampling local produce.
Television gardener Carol Klein and other green-fingered experts including Jim Buttress, the former royal household gardener, visited the new-look garden area meeting visitors and helping to answer their gardening questions.
Fashion has become increasingly important in promoting Yorkshire’s textiles and developing fashion design talent and this year show organisers, Yorkshire Agricultural Society, launched its own limited edition green and gold tweed jacket in partnership with men’s tailors Brook Taverner.
Dates have already been set for next year’s show which takes place from July 11th-13th (pop it in your diary). Find more information including this year’s competition results at greatyorkshireshow.co.uk
