A WINCHESTER garden society's annual show took place earlier this month with two local restaurant owners judging the cookery section.

The St Cross Garden Society, which is twinned with Stanmore Gardening Club, hosted local restaurant owners Mark Dodd and Damien Brown who shared their expertise from the Chesil Rectory and Inn the Park to judge the cookery competition for the first time.

The event on September 4 at St Faith’s Parish Hall, saw displays of flowers, vegetables, craft items and cookery including jams, cakes, chutneys and sour dough.

Jill Walmsley created a display of the Edible Playground which she has been instrumental in founding at Oliver’s Battery Primary School. She was helped by Ruth Farley, a professional gardener who leads the Edible Playground work.

Established in February 2021, the playground garden is already producing vegetables and they were prize winners in some of the classes in the show.

Prolific entries from Myrtle Cunningham and Annie Miller created stiff competition for the silverware, with Myrtle just pipping Annie to the post for the coveted Alan Broderick Challenge Cup for the most points in the show.

Stanmore Gardening Club hosts interesting monthly talks at the Stanmore Community Centre (beside the Carroll Youth Centre). For more information and to be added to the mailing list please contact Pip Billington at pip.billington23@gmail.com.