I might be a bit late to the game watching Jeremy ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ on Amazon Prime, but last week, I binge-watched all three series.
(I was staying with my 87-year-old mother who has dementia at the time.) I felt a newfound interest and respect for the farming community and it prompted a desire to attend the Royal Highland Show.
The Royal Highland Show, now in its 240th year is produced by Scotland’s agricultural charity, RHASS (Royal Highland & Agricultural Society of Scotland), and is an unforgettable event for all the family. With everything from mountain bike displays to the immersive Honey Marquee and sheep shearing competitions, there is also the opportunity to get close to horses, cattle, and sheep, and observe the various competitions that are paramount to the show. For shopaholics, there’s a wide array of retail opportunities, including clothing, shoes, gifts, and pet supplies.
Having attended the show four times before, my particular interest was the food hall, Scotland’s Larder, in association with The Scotsman. This section brings together hundreds of brands offering cheeses, fruits, oils, chocolates, spirits, curry spices, and more. The show offers endless opportunities to sample Scotland’s finest produce, including cookery demos with top chefs and a huge choice of food vendors serving everything from haggis, neeps, and tatties at The Haggis Box to freshly prepared fish and chips and gelato from the very popular Alandas. Though I tasted my way around the various marquees, I admittedly didn’t indulge in any other meals.
Here are a few of my highlights:
BergHOFF Eurocast Cookware
If you’re in the market for new saucepans, check out BergHOFF Eurocast Cookware. It’s far superior (and lighter) than the multi-coloured iron cookware many people have on their wedding lists! I bought my first saucepan at least 10 years ago, and it’s still going strong. With a detachable handle, suitable for any hob including induction, it can also be used in the oven and offers fat-free cooking. To preserve its life, avoid the dishwasher! I learned the hard way and had to buy a replacement.
Buck & Birch and Gin Bothy
Other stalls worth visiting in Scotland’s Larder are Buck & Birch (on the East Lothian Food and Drink Stand), producers of the amazing Aelder wild elderberry liqueur and BilRCH premium botanical vodka, and Kim Cameron of the Gin Bothy from Glamis, who produces small-batch gin, with each bottle numbered, batched, and poured by hand, using local produce including Scottish berries and rhubarb for their fruit-infused gins. They also produce award-winning jams and marmalades.
Scottish Honeyberry Growers
Another worthy winner of the Best Tradestand among all the stands in Scotland’s Larder, Scottish Honeyberry Growers cultivate honeyberries, cherished in Japan as ‘the berry of longevity’ and now grown by a local co-op of eight Scottish farmers. Perfect for porridge, yoghurt, cereal, and pancakes, they’re more versatile than you can imagine.
Retail Giants: Aldi, Tesco, and Lidl
After Scotland’s Larder, make sure to visit stands from Aldi, Tesco, and Lidl, which deservedly won Best Tradestand in the Prime category. Well done, Chris Scott and the team. I highly recommend checking out not just the food element (with daily demonstrations, including the Lidl Wine one with Master of Wine Richard Bampfield), but also the Lidl football zone, aimed at kids, where the team did a stellar job making healthy fresh fruit smoothies, with fruit-flavoured water available too.
Graham’s The Family Dairy
Another favourite award-winning stand was Graham’s The Family Dairy, named Champion Trade Stand for their interactivity and customer engagement. Their Organic Slightly Salted Butter was named Butter Reserve Champion, and in the Cultured Dairy category, both their Salted Caramel P25 Yoghurt Drink and Passionfruit, Mango, and Papaya P25 were awarded Joint Reserve Champion.
Food for Thought Conference & Cookery Theatre
I recommend a visit to the Food for Thought Conference & Cookery Theatre to watch live cookery demos that will tantalise your taste buds. I attended an informative panel discussion with Rosalind Erskine, Food and Drink editor at The Scotsman and host of The Scotsman’s Scran podcast, in conversation with Tom Chisholm of Buck & Birch and Kim Campbell of Gin Bothy, which prompted me to visit their stands later.
If you’re heading to the show today or tomorrow, here are my tips to make the most of your day:
- Arrive early and beat the crowds. And make the most of your entry fee and spend the day. You won’t be bored.
- Use public transport options if possible. The car parking needs to be bought in advance anyway and most tickets are sold out. The Royal Highland Show is accessible by tram (there are shuttle buses from the Park and Ride at Ingliston), which will save the 15 minute walk, and by special number 98 buses from the City Centre, put on by Lothian Buses.
- Download the Royal Highland Show app in advance of your visit and take time to plan what you want to see. Even if you stay all day, I doubt you will get to see everything on offer.
- Wear comfortable and appropriate footwear. You’ll get your steps in! And if mobility is an issue, there are wheelchairs and mobility scooters to hire near the entrance.
- Dress for the weather and bring a brolly – although if you forget, there’s bound to be opportunities to buy one. And if the sun does make an appearance, some sun-cream – although I did spot a welfare tent which had supplies. Not that I needed it on Friday.
- Bring a reusable bag for all the shopping you’ll do. Although if you forget, Lidl were very kindly giving out Bags for Life.
- Bring a reusable water bottle, which you can fill up on-site.
- Bring a spare battery charger for your mobile device. With all the photos, videos and audio, mine was running very low and I risked not getting home as my tram ticket was on my mobile. Thank you to Hannah of Muckle Media, PR’s for the event, for saving the day.
Supported by The Royal Bank of Scotland, the 2024 Royal Highland Show runs until Sunday at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, Edinburgh and promises an unforgettable experience for all ages.
https://www.royalhighlandshow.org
