Milford & Makeney Flower and Produce Show

Following last year’s success, Blooming Milford presents…

THE MILFORD AND MAKENEY FLOWER AND PRODUCE SHOW, SATURDAY 13th SEPTEMBER 2025, AT MILFORD SOCIAL CLUB

Open for entries, registration and display: 9:30am – 11:00am

Entrants finish displaying their entries by 11.30am

Judging:  11:30am – 12:30pm

Open to the public: 1.oopm – 3:00pm (show ends 3pm.)

Entrants – please do not remove your entries until 3pm

Fee for each class entered = 50p, children’s categories are free.

New additional classes for baking and preserves!

Click here for the schedule of classes.

Click here for a printable version of the Entry Form, if you wish to fill it in beforehand, but you are welcome to fill it in at registration on the day. Use the numbers in the schedule of classes when filling in the form.

GET SOWING AND GROWING READY FOR SEPTEMBER 2025!

Any produce left by Exhibitors will be donated to the Methodist Food Bank

Welcome to the Milford & Makeney Flower and Produce Show Website

History

The current Milford & Makeney Flower and Produce Shows follow in the footsteps of similar shows that have been held in the village over the years. Harvest Festivals were also held in the various places of worship in Milford & Makeney for many years. The most recent Flower & Produce Shows (in those days called Horticultural Shows) were held in the periods 1976 – 1986 and 1990 – 1994. In the first period they were held in what was then The Pavilion (now Nealies) and chimed with the self-sufficiency ethos of the times (reflected in the popular BBC sitcom “The Good Life” of that period). In consequence they were very popular events – for example, in 1981 takings from entry fees were £120 – and people were charged just 30p per entry. The only reason why the shows stopped was that after 10 years the organisers had had enough and were finding the organisation too much. The baton was then passed on to a second group of organisers, who ran the Horticultural Show in the period 1990 – 1994, this time in what was then The British Legion (now Milford Social Club (Sunshine Club)). In terms of size, the shows of these two periods had about 30 entry categories, but these also included baking, preserves and handicrafts.

The 14th September 2024 Flower and Produce Show

After 30 years, Blooming Milford decided to revive the old Horticultural Shows, renamed the Milford & Makeney Flower and Produce Show. This was held in Milford Social Club. To begin with the organisers decided to restrict themselves to flowers, fruit and vegetables and have 30 categories, but expanding to baking, preserves etc. in future years if it was a success. An impressive collection of cups and trophies donated by local businesses and individuals for the Horticultural Shows had been amassed in the past, and they were passed on to Blooming Milford. They offer a poignant reminder of then local businesses which are now defunct/taken over such as The New Inn, Thorntons, Glow-worm and Bass-Charrington.

These cups were given out in the 2024 show as follows:

  • The New Inn Cup for Overall Best in Show
  • The Richard Beardsley Rose Bowl for Best Floral Display in show
  • The Glow Worm Cup for the Best Vegetable in show
  • The Norman Taylor Memorial Cup for the best Fruit in show
  • Cups for the best Infant 5-7 and best Junior 8-11

Additionally, rosettes were given for first prize in each class, with certificates for second and third.

Fruit and vegetable entries and prizes

On the day, there were 27 entrants and over 100 entries and it was judged by the organisers to have been a success.

Floral entries

Carol Hawley wins Best in Show award

For a more detailed write up of the event and more pictures, see here.

This year’s Flower and Produce Show – 13th September 2025

Following the success of the 2024 event, the organisers agreed to hold one this year too. It will be held on the 13th September 2025 in Milford Social Club (as last year). Following feedback from many, there are now entry classes for baking, preserves and eggs, and the classes for vegetables and flowers have been expanded. In total the number of classes has been expanded from 30 last year to 41 this year, details below. Like last year, entry into the children’s categories is free, but the fee for each other class entered has been decreased from £1 to 50p, in order to encourage as many entries as possible.

Schedule of classes

  1. Onions, red or white – 2 matching, roots washed and neck of 7.5cm left on.
  2. Shallots – 3 matching, roots washed and neck of 7.5cm left on.
  3. Potatoes – 3 matching, any variety, washed.
  4. Cherry tomatoes – 5 on a stalk
  5. Tomatoes – 3 large matching, with calyx attached.
  6. Sweetcorn – 1 half stripped so that kernels can be seen.
  7. Carrots – 2 matching, washed, with tap root intact and leaves trimmed to 7.5cm.
  8. Beetroot – 2 matching, washed, with tap root intact and leaves trimmed to 7.5cm.
  9. Leeks – 1 with roots washed.
  10. Courgettes – 2 matching
  11. Squashes – Any single squash with 7.5cm of stalk attached.
  12. Runner beans – 3 matching
  13. French beans – 5 matching
  14. Cabbage – trimmed
  15. Any other vegetable
  16. Largest vegetable – by weight
  17. Ugliest vegetable
  18. Pears – 3 matching.
  19. Apples, Dessert – 3 not polished.
  20. Apples, Cooking – 3 not polished.
  21. Raspberries – 7 with calyx attached.
  22. Blackberries – 7 with calyx attached.
  23. Any other fruit
  24. A vase of flowers from the garden – in a suitable vase of your choice.
  25. Dahlias – 3 blooms of any variety or mix.
  26. Chrysanthemums – 3 matching , any variety.
  27. Roses – 3 blooms, any variety
  28. Herbs – bunch in water
  29. House plant – Flower or foliage must have belonged to the exhibitor for at least 12 months
  30. Collage (infants, 5-7) – Using any part of fruit/veg/flowers to create a collage of an insect, A4 size.
  31. Collage (juniors, 8-11) – Using any part of fruit/veg/flowers to create a collage of an insect, A4 size.
  32. Model (infants, 5-7) – Using any part of fruit/veg/flowers to create a 3D model of “a creature”, with a name
  33. Model (juniors, 8-11) -Using any part of fruit/veg/flowers to create a 3D model of “a creature”, with a name
  34. A jar of jam – made with fresh fruit
  35. A jar of chutney or piccalilli
  36. A white loaf – made with 500g of flour (please, no bread-makers)
  37. Victoria sponge – made with 3 eggs and with a filling of your choice
  38. Plain scones – 3 scones
  39. Biscuits – 3 biscuits of any type
  40. Fruit loaf – any type of fruit loaf
  41. Eggs – 3 eggs.

Click here for a PDF version of the above schedule of classes if you wish to print it out.

Click here for a printable version of the Entry Form, if you wish to fill it in beforehand, but you are welcome to fill it in at registration on the day. Use the numbers in the Schedule of Classes above when filling in the form.

Order of events

Here is the order of events for the day (13th September 2025, at Milford Social Club at the junction of Sunny Hill and Chevin Road).

Open for entries, registration and display: 9:30am – 11:00am

Entrants finish displaying their entries by 11.30am

Judging:  11:30am – 12:30pm

Open to the public: 1.00pm – 3:00pm (show ends 3pm.)

Entrants – please do not remove your entries until 3pm

Prizes

Entries will be awarded a first, second and third in each class.

Points for places:  First place in class – 3 points Second place in class – 2 points Third place in class – 1. Best in Show will be awarded to the entrant with the most points overall.

As last year, rosettes will be given to each first place winner and certificates to the second and third places.

In addition, these cups were given out in the 2024 show as follows, and we plan to do the same this year.

  • The New Inn Cup for Overall Best in Show
  • The Richard Beardsley Rose Bowl for Best Floral Display in show
  • The Glow Worm Cup for the Best Vegetable in show
  • The Norman Taylor Memorial Cup for the best Fruit in show
  • Cups for the best Infant 5-7 and best Junior 8-11

In addition, we have been gifted the crystal bowls below, which we shall use for Best Produce prize.

ENTRY RULES

  • You must only enter home grown produce. Vegetables must be washed.  Children can enter adult classes
  • Entries must be staged between 10-11am on the morning of the show
  • Entries will be recorded by number only to ensure anonymity until after judging
  • If exhibits are not up to the standard specified by the show schedule prizes may not be awarded, and if there are less than 6 entries in a class the number of awards will be at the judge’s discretion
  • Nothing can be removed or altered between judging and the end of the show. Everything must be collected at the end of the show or it will be donated to the Methodist Church food bank in Belper
  • Cups and trophies cannot be won outright and must be returned to the committee by 31st July 2026

Have a great day and enjoy the show!