The joy of Britain’s country shows

Wandering through the sheep pens at the Great Yorkshire Show, it’s clear that a sheep is not ‘just’ a sheep. The sheer array of livestock on display is a lesson in itself. Sheep with fluffy legs; sheep with four enormous horns. Pink sheep, white sheep, brown, black and piebald sheep. Dreadlocked sheep; sheep with huge donkey ears, and rams with huge, curled horns. Above their pens they proudly display their prizes: Breed Champion; Winning Lamb; Best Swaledale; Best Homebred. It’s remarkable calm in here; the odd bleat here and there, or a scuffle as someone objects to being puffed and preened before their next class. But for the most part the sheep are content to loll around, munching on their hay.

For the handlers; the breeders and the owners who dedicate their lives to their flocks, this show is one of the highlights of the year. And, with last year having been a write-off, the 2021 show season has higher stakes than ever. A champion sheep will make far more at auction; as will his or her progeny. But it’s the pride of winning that makes most people want the top prize; of knowing that you’re doing things right, your animals are in top nick – and doing you proud.

A friend I bumped into was delighted that a specific stallion hound had won in the foxhound ring; 'they’re all liking the look of him now – and I’ve already got 10 pups by him back at home in kennels.'

We are in prime country show season right now. Up and down the country, shows are in full swing, whether that’s smaller local shows, or large ones like the Great Yorkshire, which kicked off July, and was attended by Prince Charles (who stood in a cowpat),  Camilla and Defra minister George Eustice, among others.

Livestock isn’t the only thing ripe for showing. If you look hard enough, there are prizes for almost everything somewhere in the country. The stalwarts of the village show are the produce; the homemade cakes and chutney, the marmalade, the giant homegrown marrows and the best embroidery. The family dog show with prizes for the best biscuit-catcher and the waggiest tail. On one hen-do in Gloucestershire, we popped into the Brockhampton village show, and had a lovely time racing woodlice.

Country shows, agricultural shows, village shows; whatever the exact type of show, there’s always a similar format. Someone will be competing for something, there’ll be a demonstration – whether that’s shire horses, motocross stunt bikes, steam engines, fly fishing or falconry – and invariably some way for children to have a sugar rush.

They are by no means all the same; just a quick glance at the show calendar for this summer gives an idea of the breadth of interests that shows cover. Last week saw the Festival of Hunting in Peterborough, followed by The Game Fair at Ragley Hall – a three day celebration of all things hunting, shooting and fishing. There are the big shows like the Royal Welsh and the Honiton Show, and others like the Henley Sheepdog Trial, the ‘Potatoes in Practice’ show, the Grasmere Lakeland Sports Show, the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival and numerous steam fairs. There’s even an annual marmalade festival, where the best in show attracts over 3,000n entries, from as far afield as Kuwait, Brazil and the Czech Republic.

What each show is, however, is a demonstration of what the county has to offer; no two shows are the same – and whether it’s the Morris dancers, the west country cheeses or top class local fell sheep that demonstrate that distinction, they offer a microcosm of England. With everything that has happened over the last year, surely everyone could do with a giant turnip, a rosette and a jar of green tomato chutney?