Tatton Tomatoes

I've just arrived back from a delightful (albeit rainy) few days at Karen's. Thankfully the rain held off for our first visit to the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park on Wednesday and we spent most of the day in warm sunshine which negated the need for all the macs, wellies and umbrellas we'd bought with us. We had a great time, and Elizabeth's blog post is the place for our general impressions of the show.

One of the places I enjoyed the most was the RHS Summer Fruit and Vegetable Competition Pavilion, which also helped to give Tatton a distinct personality from the other RHS shows. Inside were plates of impossibly luscious looking fruit and lettuces without a single trace of a slug :o
I also loved the display from the Mid-Cheshire Gooseberry Association which told the story of gooseberry competitions. Cheshire - where Tatton is located - is a stronghold of this almost lost form of fruit competition and it was a delight to see varieties I'd never heard of and examples of how large these berries might become. Very different to those I showed you on Monday!

The display which really blew me away was the one from the British Tomato Growers Association, which forms my main picture. I loved the idea of displaying tomatoes like a sweet shop and having the opportunity to try some varieties I'd not come across before. Green Tiger was my favourite, which is shown to the right of the top right picture. It was sweet and juicy with just the right hint of sharpness. It was a most refreshing taste after spending a number of very happy hours wandering around all the exhibits.

If you're off to Tatton this weekend whatever you do, don't miss this part of the show.

NB Next Friday is our next Salad Days and I look forward to seeing your latest 52 Week Salad Challenge posts :)

Comments

  1. Donna@Gardens Eye View20 July 2012 at 12:49

    I love the displays...makes those tomatoes look even more delicious...my salad post will be a week late as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Compostwoman20 July 2012 at 19:45

    Oh wow! Those tomato displays!

    ReplyDelete
  3. VP21 July 2012 at 08:40

    Donna - they didn't just look delicious ;) Looking forward to seeing your post :)

    Compostwoman - they're pretty special aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lisa21 July 2012 at 10:48

    I love Tatton. Going on Sunday :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dobby21 July 2012 at 19:24

    I didn't venture into the fruit & veg tent with you, but it looks like I should have!
    A brilliant day. Good company, warm sunshine and plants. What more could a girl want?

    ReplyDelete
  6. VP22 July 2012 at 09:16

    Lisa - have fun, you're in for a treat :)

    Dobby - absolutely nothing at all. Lovely to see you and have your company on the day :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. ediblethings7 August 2012 at 14:33

    After a fourth year of blight, I think I'll have to give up on home grown tomatoes, until I have a greenhouse or polytunnel to grow them in. These look phenomenal, I bet they smelled wonderful too. I shall pop back to this post when I am feeling wistful instead of growing my own next year.

    ReplyDelete
  8. VP20 September 2012 at 11:41

    Edible Things - I feel like you do, but my willpower crumbles every year. I have the offer of some seed which is 'suitable for windowsill growing' and not having a greenhouse (which offers some resistance to blight spores getting in and wafting around) which is very tempting indeed...

    ReplyDelete

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