A few years ago I vowed never to produce another trug exhibit
after coming 3rd at Malvern 4 years running. There were a couple of
guys including Allen Young that we just couldn’t get the better of despite my
wife’s best creative efforts, then when we finally managed to beat Allen a guy
called Mike Smith came along to win the class and keep us in 3rd.
Mike would spend all night constructing his magnificent trugs and fully
deserved his wins, but for us it was a lot of effort for very little reward.
Then a couple of seasons ago they revamped the class into
‘The British Trug Championships’ with enhanced prize money as a result, always
something that will get my juices flowing.
I didn’t dare ask my wife to do another so last September I secretly
made plans to do one all on my ownsome, and set about manufacturing a sturdy
wooden trug from old bed slats that I had refused to throw out, as I noticed
that our trug always seemed a little bit smaller than those of our main
competitors, but I was buggered if I was going to spend 30 quid on a new one! I
carefully built it up on our kitchen worktop during the day before Malvern,
adding veg to it as it became available during my preparations for the other
classes, and when it was finished I have to say I was dead chuffed with it,
especially as I’d done it all on my own with no input from my good lady. That
was, until the very point I came to lift it off the table to put it into the
car and nearly snapped my spine in half. It was ridiculously heavy, even with
two of us carrying it and I hoped the judge wouldn’t try and lift it.
When it was staged I genuinely believed we would win so it
was with some disappointment to come back to a bright blue 2nd place
ticket and a rather over the top ‘Reserve Best in Show’ award. I felt the
winner wasn’t quite up to our standard overall, the amount of varieties of
different chillis on the winning exhibit maybe giving the impression of more
variety perhaps swinging it. Or perhaps I was just penalised for having the
audacity to stage a shipping container! Mine was also perhaps a tad over the
top and lacked subtlety so in the cold light of day I think a correct decision
was made. Whatever, I sure aint never doing another. I’m now officially retired
from trugs. Honest.
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