Page 38 - Simply Vegetables Winter 2024/25

Copyright of Aberdeen City Council, credit Norman Adams – Aberdeen City Council
with his consistently high quality Pablo and Jim Williams won the 15 point and under class which included some very nice “Hylon” Broad Beans.
In the RHSA show, the battle of the giants was between Doug Gerrard
and George Cumming who benched a large amount of high-quality exhibits. Doug Gerrard displayed a winning veg collection in the RHSA show in addition to his 2nd place 5 Veg collection on the Scottish Branch Championships too. The
RHSA show was also very grateful for the generous donation of vouchers provided by Select Seeds which supplemented the 1st, 2nd & 3rd prizes of specific classes. Thank you to David Thornton.
With this being a special 200th Anniversary show, the NVS had also sponsored a special class for “Sweet Bell” Turnips, with Seed generously supplied by Kings Seeds and a trophy in the form of a Scottish quaich, funded from the Trustees. Ian Simpson was delighted to have grown a very clean set of turnips to win this class. A thankyou also goes to the Grampian
DA who created a “Pot to Plate” display of vegetables growing in the area of a pallet to show that you don’t need to have a large garden to grow vegetables.
All in all, a great weekend and a very big thank you goes to all who helped set up the show and dismantle it afterwards... plus a very warm welcome to our new members who subsequently joined the NVS after visiting the show on such a memorable weekend.
For those members like me who wondered what a Scottish quaich is I Googled it and the answer is below, may be more branches / DA’s should present then in stead of a cup!
What Is A Quaich?
A quaich is a traditional Scottish cup with two lugs (handles), known as a symbol of friendship. Frequently given as rewards, prizes and celebration gifts.
Origins
A Quaich is a traditional Scottish drinking cup. The two lugs (or handles) emphasise its symbolism as the cup of friendship.
It derives from the Scottish Gaelic word ‘cuach,’ which is translated as ‘cup.’
Traditionally they were made of wood and were used to offer a welcome or farewell drink of whisky, brandy or ale when receiving guests in the home. Nowadays, they are often awarded as prizes, or given as gifts, and are more commonly made from pewter or silver.
History
Quaich’s can be found throughout Scottish history. In 1589 King James VI of Scotland sent Anne of Denmark a quaich (or “loving cup”) as a wedding gift, and this tradition is widely used today, often with an engraved message.
In 1745 the quaich travelled from Edinburgh to Derby with the Scottish army in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s canteen and in the 19th century Sir Walter Scott dispensed drams (a measure of whisky) in silver quaichs.
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