When supporters of farming's charity gathered at the Norfolk showground on a cool June evening, there was a very well-kept surprise in store for one Puffa wearer - the secretary to Stalham Farmers' Club.As the highly-successful evening was coming to a close, Sir John White, president of the Norfolk branch of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution invited Michael Pollitt to come to the front of the crowd.Then, his fellow committee members presented him with a 10ft tall heritage apple tree in thanks for his efforts over the past four decades in promoting RABI and its fund-raising activities in the EDP and its sister publications.Completely taken-aback, your secretary, who joined the EDP as its agricultural editor in 1984 and left after close to 30 years on July 1, took the apple tree back to his north Norwich home."I'm extremely grateful because it has now found a home alongside the other six Norfolk heritage varieties in our small garden," he said. And it even pre-dates the foundation of the club in 1841, he added.The tree - a Pitmaston Pine Apple, who originates from Herefordshire and dates from 1785 - came with four small apples.It has now been planted and seems to be doing extremely well. "I thank the RABI committee and especially secretary Sally Mitchell for her kind present," he said.On the last day of the Royal Norfolk Show, your secretary was also presented to the president, The Duke of Wessex, and given a special award by the RNAA. It followed very generous gifts by members of the wider farming community at a brief ceremony hosted by Kit Papworth, chairman of Anglia Farmers.Now, recovering from acute pancreatitis and off work for more than two months from April, your secretary is busy planning the autumn programme.Watch this space.
And the sugar beet and potato competition judging will be taking place within the next few weeks - so I'm looking for some quality entries.
Entry added: 21 Jul 2014 |
Guy Paterson's CLA Game Chef Article. I've always loved cooking and have got into deer management. My father (James) saw the advert in the EDP in April for 'The CLA Game Chef of the Year' and said I should enter. I had five days to put together my application which included a 2minute video, unique recipe and CV.I made it through to the next round, where I had to cook a dish based on game. I had no idea what the competition would be like as it was opened to all. I wanted to push myself to cook something I was proud of and through would be up with the best. We have a number of wild deer on the farm, the most common is the Muntjac and can be shot year round. I spent a long time thinking about my dish and after many days I had something I was excited about. I called it a 'Trio of Muntjac'. I shot and butchered a Muntjac for my recipe the Saturday before the competition.
I had to drive for almost 4 hours to get to the cookery school where the competition was being held, luckily my girlfriend Rosie accompanied me. When I arrived I met the competition which consisted of three professional chefs and a vet. I was a little nervous but better than I thought I would be for my first cooking competition. We all had a brief chat than started cooking, we had one hour. The picture below is the dish I served on the day. The judging panel was made up of three, a Michelin starred chef, a magazine editor and the competition organiser. The level of cooking wasincredible! I was very pleased with my dish but was not sure how I would compare with the professionals. The judging panel couldn't make a decision on the day as there was another group to cook later that week. Two weeks later I received an email saying I was through to the finals at Blenheim Place. I was quite literally over the moon! I'm cooking live at the CLA game fair on the weekend of the 18-20th July.
Entry added: 30 May 2014 |