Mid-Somerset Show 2012

I really did have a proper Westcountry weekend last weekend! As I mentioned in my last post, on Sunday we headed over to Shepton Mallet for the Mid-Somerset Show, a small agricultural show in the lovely Somerset countryside. We always used to go to the Royal Bath & West Show when I was little, but after the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001, when a lot of farmers lost their livestock and there were all sorts of restrictions on the movement of animals, it became a lot more corporate and there were more big stands selling farm machinery than there were local producers. But the Mid-Somerset Show was just how an agricultural show should be. It was a boiling hot day and they had a record crowd, and we saw all sorts of fab things.

There were champion chickens...

...and a LOT of Cheddar (unsurprisingly!)

There were also lots of local food producers and small dairies and cheesemakers in the food tent, and I bought some Somerset cider chutney, and some Ringwell and Little Ryding cheese from Wootton Organic Dairy. I love Ringwell - it's made with unpasteurised milk from Jersey cows and it's beautiful, quite dry but creamy and nutty at the same time.

This cow had won all the rosettes...

...and there were lots of very large pigs and lots of old tractors!

One of our main reasons for going to the show was to see The Wurzels, and of course I had to have a cheeky perry (I'm not a cider fan) while they were playing!

And I finished the day with a gorgeous mint choc chip ice-cream from Styles that was made with sheep's milk - it was lovely and refreshing with a gorgeous tang, a little bit like frozen yogurt but much creamier!