A Window On The Countryside 9th August 2011

Celebrity guests Gino D’Acampo and Mark Diacono, five inspirational show gardens, thousands of exquisite blooms, delicious, locally produced food, cookery demonstrations and an action-packed programme of countryside entertainment – the Malvern Autumn Show (24 & 25 September) promises to be bigger and better than ever this year.

Show organizer, the Three Counties Agricultural Society (TCAS), is adding new interest to the event’s tried and tested mix of country crafts, flower displays, native livestock and speciality foods,  and hopes to entice more visitors with a much enhanced offering of family entertainment.

The Malvern Autumn Show is a must for gardeners of all ages and abilities, and among the edible gardens this year, are The Old Kiln Yard garden – a delightful organic space designed to supply the cook – and The Soap Maker’s Garden, where herbs are grown for cosmetics and medicine.

Caroline Butler, the Chris Beardshaw Mentoring Scholarship 2011 winner, who built a garden for the Malvern Spring Gardening Show earlier on in the year, will be unveiling The Bradstone Vitality Garden.

The spectacular Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show, (with a record-breaking 24 RHS Gold Medals in 2010), covers more than 5,000 square metres and is bursting with colour and scent. ‘Nature’s Harvest’ is the theme for this year’s beautiful floral art exhibits.

The popular Harvest Pavilion boasts a cornucopia of monster vegetables, succulent fruits and perfect cut flowers, and on stage in its Plant Theatre, run by the Royal Horticultural Society, experts will be talking about exotic foliage, winter containers and conservatory planting.

Brand new for 2011 is Landscaping Live, which begins with a beautiful finished garden, and then shows visitors how to create the end result. Designed to inspire anyone contemplating landscaping the garden at home, either by commissioning the work or doing it themselves, the new feature offers plenty of practical advice on the methods and the materials for getting it right!

In the Good Life Pavilion, the emphasis is on sowing, growing and eating food from the garden, for a healthier, more wholesome lifestyle. Mark Diacono and the River Cottage team will be on stage throughout the Show with their top tips for cooking with seasonal produce, and special guest on Sunday 25 is the UK’s favourite Italian chef, Gino D’Acampo.

Food lovers will also enjoy the locally produced meat, cheeses, pickles and fine wines in the Artisan Food Market and there’s everything from dry cured bacon and hams and smoked seeds and nuts to farmhouse ice-cream, Victorian chutney and freshly squeezed lemonade, in the Festival of Food & Drink.

The brand new Orchard Pavilion is the place to enjoy sparkling perry and local cider, taste delicious fruit at the Apple & Pears Show and discover what goes on in the orchards of Herefordshire.

The Malvern Autumn Show has always been renowned as a fun-packed day out for all the family and 2011 is no exception.

Exhilarating horse-drawn antics performed at daredevil speeds top the bill this year, as the National Horseboarding Championships come to Malvern, and visitors to the Forestry section can watch demonstrations of pole climbing at heights of 25 metres!

There’s the chance to meet and greet goats, dogs, horses, ferrets, falcons and barn owls, in the World of Animals, and little ones heading for the Discovery Zone can see worms, bugs and beasties, have a go at fly-tying down at the lake and check out the perfect pumpkins in the Autumn competition.

There’s willow hurdle-making, stick-making and forestry in the Country Pursuits area and vintage machinery and classic cars for a trip down memory lane.

The Malvern Autumn Show is just 12 weeks before Christmas, so with 600 quality tradestands selling a huge variety of gifts and gadgets, it’s the perfect place to indulge in a spot of retail therapy, and seek out some unusual Christmas presents too.

The Malvern Autumn Show takes place on Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 September 2011 at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern in Worcestershire.

Tickets are available on the Hotline 01684 584924 or via the website: www.threecounties.co.uk

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