The Royal Highland Show has long since shrugged off its image of traditional breeds and mud

Published on Thursday 18 June 2009 12:24

FOR AN EVENT that's 187 years old, the Royal Highland Show never seems to get bogged down in the past. This year's show (25-28 June) will be no exception, with the organisers aiming to appeal to every demographic – not just those with a penchant for tractors.

"This year we're trying to communicate that the show isn't all about cows," says Highland Show publicist Judith O'Leary. "We want to attract those who've lost touch with what we're doing now and haven't been back for a while."

If you've already seen the television advertisement, then you'll know that the show is trying to attract those who last visited when they were children and, perhaps, still associate the event with traditional breeds and mud.

So, covering all bases, 2009's event, in association with Homecoming Scotland, will have a huge focus on Scottish music, with an appearance from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, fresh from winning a Classical Brits Award for Album of the Year.

There will also be a packed schedule at the ever-popular cookery theatre, which this year will showcase 15 chefs, including regulars Lady Claire Macdonald and Wendy Barrie.

Elsewhere there is a Borders riding showcase, BMX demonstrations and displays covering bee-keeping, sheep-shearing and how to achieve Good Life-esque self-sufficiency. You'll be spoiled for choice.

Happily, though, one of the best things about the show is that the ticket covers a whole day's events. If your blood-sugar drops, you can even grab free tasters of cheese and ice-cream at the foodie stalls. However, we still recommend that you make a withdrawal from the bank before you visit – as, in recent years, this has become a shopper's paradise. Last year, although the majority of people splurged on food, 59 per cent of visitors bought inedible items and a quarter of that percentage parted with a substantial amount (bet-ween 101 and 999). Well, it would be difficult not to, when retailers such as Anta, Welligogs and Papin Isabelle cashmere are showcasing their wares.

"Big bucks are spent at the show," says O'Leary. "For example, there's an antiques dealer from Aberdeen who says that it's the best four days that he'll do all year. Plus, we have a fine artist called Angela Davidson, who has a very successful stand every year featuring paintings of Clydesdale horses."

All this makes for an important annual showcase for Scottish companies, with many choosing the Royal Highland Show as a launching pad for new products.

"It's not just a consumer show – big business is done here," O'Leary explains. "For example, this year the ice-cream manufacturer Mackies will be launching a new range of crisps. All of the major supermarkets are represented at Ingliston, so buyers come and see what's new."

For smaller organisations, it's even more imperative to get their foot on the next rung of the ladder. As Anne Hepstock, a one-time contestant on BBC2's Dragons' Den and owner of Cream Cutie, a Dumfries-based flavoured liqueur business, says: "One minute you're helping a shopper decide which flavour to buy and the next you're negotiating deals with a major supermarket or independent retailer. It's where business is done and contacts are made."

Still, you'll be pleased to hear that there's no extra cost to admire 4,000 furry, pink or woolly faces that this event is most famous for. Proving that the Royal Highland Show is not forgetting its raison d'tre, it will be paying tribute to traditional Scottish breeds, such as Aberdeen Angus and Shorthorn cattle.

Each of the potentially prize- winning animals may be worth thousands of pounds. And, as they'll be installed at Ingliston on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the event itself, the owners have to ensure that they're taken care of properly beforehand.

"Every year we see people sleeping beside their animals at night," says O'Leary. "Then we'll see them being groomed in the mornings. With the Clydesdales, there'll always be Johnson's Baby Powder (used to keep their white bits pristine] Even the hens will be gently fluffed up until they're perfect.

"So, when the show starts, you'll see these beautifully presented animals beside their owners – who all look a bit dishevelled because they've been sleeping next to their livestock." sm

n Royal Highland Show Ingliston, 25-28 June. (www.royalhighlandshow.org.uk, 0131-335 6236). Tickets, 20 for adults, 15 for students and senior citizens, accompanied children under-16 free. Parking 5 per vehicle.