Every summer, Yorkshire hosts a traditional celebration of the humble gooseberry. First established back in 1800, the annual Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show is the oldest surviving gooseberry show in the world.
Hosted by the Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Society, the show still attracts plenty of keen gardeners, all hoping their biggest gooseberries will win the show. There are four classes; red gooseberries, yellow ones, green ones and white ones (and I bet you thought gooseberries were simply green).
The heaviest gooseberry is determined by an old-fashioned apothecary scale, measured in drams and grains. Past record winners have weighed in at 33 drams (that’s the size of a golf ball). In 2009 a new world record was set, at 35 drams exactly. This has yet to be beaten, but perhaps this year will produce a record breaker.
So, why not show some respect to this much side-lined fruit, and help keep this tradition going, by popping along to see the array of berries on display? The berries can be seen on display from 2pm and there’ll be afternoon teas and live music during the event.
When: 6th August 2019
Where: St. Hedda’s Primary School, Egton Bridge, North Yorkshire
£: Free
More info: www.egtongooseberryshow.org.uk
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