Taylor Made Production
One of the top outdoor events in the UK with a strong tradition
of showing top quality livestock and horses,
showing the best food and drink produced in Scotland and the UK..
If you haven't guessed it already, then it's the annual Royal Highland Show.
The Highland Show is the pinacle of the Scottish showing year,
but it's appeal stretches well beyond Scotland's Borders
to make it one of the UK's premier agriculture shows,
where exhibiting is essential.
The show is supported by a major sponsor, the Royal Bank of Scotland and is run
by the Royal Highland and agriculture society of Scotland
which was founded in 1784 to promote regeneration of rural Scotland.
Occupying a three hundred acre site right next to Edinburgh Airport
on the Western fringe of Scotland's capital city,
the event is an annual must or the major herds, locks and studs
across the UK as well as being firmly on the calendar of all farmers and countryside
people as well as a huge variety of businesses which take trade stands to promote
and sell their products. On average, over one hundred and fifty thousand people
attend the show over it's four day run in June.
In the food and drink hall, there is a superb selection of the best food and drink
from Scotland and from far beyond. The Scottish Food and Drink Theatre
has nine demonstrations a day, ranging from butchery, fine cheeses, the best of Scottish malts,
and Scotland's top chiefs showing their flair and skills.
Sample food from premier producers, keen to promote their products direct to the public
and support many of our Scottish Farm Producers keen to see people cut down
the food miles.
If you have a baking pan and you have some left overs, you can
do this after a long day of work so you are not necessarily starting from scratch..
Now potatoes and sweet potatoes are a pretty safe bet..
If you've got something like left over chicken or left over rice, certainly..
things that can be quite more dangerous than one might first think.
Mark is using side spikes here as opposed to the toe spikes,
He's now employing a totally different technique than the toe climbers earlier on,
Come on folks, give him some encouragement! It's the only the second time he's done this!
The Royal Highland Show is also a place for youngsters with a tremendous range of
activities and attractions designed specifically to appeal to children
in addition to them having a first hand opportunity to see farm animals
and horses up close and personal.
There's an opening if you can't see this circle of children here, there's a slight
opening up for them and we're going to heard the Ducks into that opening.
So here they come. Here they come. Now stay still kids, stay still, nice and
still.
Nice and still. Nice and still and we'll hold them tight there.
Here they come, they're coming in, they're coming in.
They're coming in, they're coming in, maybe not..
Showjumping classes attract many famous names within the sport,
from across the UK as well as a large number of home grown Scottish
competitors. There's jumping in the main arena and particularly on a Sunday
there're wall to wall jumping from first thing in the morning until the show closes
in the evening. There are four adult championship finals held at the show
for which riders and horses must qualify.
It's worth mentioning that the show starts on a Thursday
but from the Monday of that week, animals will be arriving at the showground
to settle in within their new living quarters. Aside from the adult championship
in two thousand and five, there was a new class for riders of twenty five years
and under, the young masters and this was won by one of a legion of home
grown Scottish talent. Riders had to qualify to compete in this.
Interest was high from around the country with a good number of riders
coming from the South of Hadrian's Wall. In two thousand and eight,
the Royal Highland Show looks set to have another successful year.
This is Alan Taylor reporting for Taylor Made Productions, Ingilston, Edinburgh
Scotland Agriculture Events - Royal Highland Show - Edinburgh Events - Highland Cattle Show Scotland