I had a busy week last week. I decided that, after winning the liqueur class in Tottington Horticultural Society Show in March for my sloe gin, I'd have another go in the September show. I decided on rhubarb vodka but after having some Tottington-picked raspberries left over a while ago, I thought I'd try raspberry vodka too. I strained them both before my holidays and had a little taste. The rhubarb vodka was terrible, like drinking paint stripper, but the raspberry vodka was delicious. I also thought it might be quite easy to make a Station Yard cake depicting the Incredible Edible Tottington vegetable plots and the TWIGs (the children's wildlife group) wild flower garden. I took my entry form along a couple of days before the show and found that there was a problem; the entry fee had gone up from 5p to 10p! It didn't bother me, but maybe the people who didn't like this were entering lots and lots (give them the benefit of the doubt).
During the week before the show I started collecting cake decorating things together. The cake was covered in green icing (for the grass) and work began. The wild flower garden was easy, and I got some butterflies to stick in it. The vegetable plots were more difficult and took a lot of fiddling with cardboard, paint and cocktail sticks to build them. Finally they were in place, along with chocolate blobs for the soil. A woman in the decoration shop told me that spaghetti made good green beans. I couldn't work this one out until someone mentioned fresh spaghetti, so I bought a bag of it and painted it with green food colouring. It didn't work and I ended up using green garden string and putting red icing blobs on it for the flowers. I managed OK using the icing tubes to make cauliflowers, cabbages, potatoes and carrots. Finally I piped on the writing and put a garden theme edging round the cake.
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| The cookery entries |
I then had to decant some of the vodka, which had been maturing nicely under my stairs, into a clear bottle and label it. The rhubarb vodka had improved over a month and the raspberry wasn't quite as good as I remembered it. It wasn't quite ready. I decided to enter it anyway (the rhubarb will be going into the spring show in March).
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| The winning entries and trophies |
On the Saturday of the show I took along my goods then made a hasty exit as I had a date in Manchester with the very lovely Jason Donovan. (I've just got the box set of Moving Wallpaper and Echo Beach so I can watch him again, but this date was a real life encounter). Later on in the afternoon I got a message that I had won the decorated cake and the liqueur class, so I was over the moon. I was even more pleased when the message came through that I had won best in show for cookery and best in show for wine. 'Im Indoors went up to collect the 2 trophies that I can keep for the year. I've never won a trophy before!
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| Alan Turing statue, with his apple |
While I was in Manchester I went to see the Alan Turing statue in Sackville Park. This is between the University and the Gay Village. The statue shows Turing holding an apple, with a bite taken out of it. The apple is a symbol of
forbidden love, but it is also thought that Turing died after biting an apple laced with cyanide (he died from cyadide poisoning but the apple found next to him was never tested). It is rumoured that the 'apple' symbol came from Turing's apple but the company have always denied this, saying the symbol is based on Isaac Newton's theory of gravitation. 2012 is the centenary of Alan Turing's birth and events are scheduled to take place in several countries around the world to commemorate this. I have just started a biography about Alan Turing which I need to read quite quickly as I have a queue for it before I go to Switzerland next (it will be wanted there too). I have wanted to go to Bletchley Park for ages so I'm interested in finding out about it, and Mr Turing, before I go to visit it. I'll be going on the way to Switzerland as the absolute bargain flights I got were from Gatwick, so I'll be more or less passing. Turing lived for a time in Wilmslow, and when he worked at Bletchley Park he was a key figure in breaking the Enigma codes during World War 2.
The day after this was the annual World Black Pudding Throwing Championships, held in Ramsbottom. For the first time I saw 'The Golden Grid' being brought to the competition. The grid is from the original championship site, in Stubbins, and contestants have to stand on the grid to throw. Each year on competition day it leaves its 'home' and travels to Ramsbottom by steam train. It is then carried up Bridge Street, this year accompanied by the mayor who had the first throw of a black pudding. It is a really fun event and we had contestants from all over the world taking part. The Hairy Bikers from the BBC were also filmed there having a go. All proceeds are for charity.
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| The Hairy Bikers having a go at throwing black puddings. Note the foot on the golden grid. |
During the week I also found out that I had got enough votes to be on the new Township Forum advisory group. I have attended the first meeting of Ramsbottom, Tottington and North Manor township forum (the largest by a long way in Bury), where the subject of wheelie bins was heatedly discussed. I'm still not 100% sure what my role is as the forums are so new, but it can't do my CV any harm.
I'll be preparing another cake for Incredible Edible Tottington Harvest Party that will be held on Station Yard Field on 2 October 2011. Please come and find out more about the group between 1pm and 3pm.
