It’s a good idea to make sure you read the Show Schedule carefully, noting the number of specimens required for each class (for example, how many potatoes need to be on your plate) and any requirements re size and display of your exhibit. Not displaying the number of specimens required for the class is a common reason for the exhibit being disqualified.

Try and make sure that your specimens for the class are a uniform shape and size. Large specimens may be desirable but this should not be at the expense of uniformity, presentation and quality.

Flowers should be at the peak of flowering, with any damaged petals or leaves removed. Don’t cut flowers during the heat of the day. Cut stems as long as possible and plunge them up to their necks in water overnight.

Blooms should be fresh and clean, all florets intact, firm and without blemish or defect. Colour(s) should be clear and well-defined and either consistent or evenly shaded or tipped throughout the bloom.

Vases for displaying your cut flowers are supplied by the Society. However classes 151-154 (displayed on a board) and class 155 (displayed in a bowl) will require exhibitors to bring their own means of display.

You may need to bring floral foam, moss or paper to help support your blooms. We encourage the use of biodegradable support.

The exhibit should be arranged so that all the blooms face in the same direction, are clear of each other and a pleasing and balanced effect is achieved. If blooms should be staged with some foliage, the foliage should be clean, healthy and undamaged.  

NB: the dahlia classes are judged in accordance with the National Dahlia Society rules. Check the Schedule as the maximum sizes of blooms will be specified where relevant. Small, medium and large are as per National Dahlia Society rules.

You can find more information on the National Dahlia Society Website here.

Exhibits must have been in the exhibitor’s possession for at least two months prior to the show.

The maximum pot size is 10”/25.4cm unless otherwise stated.

Make sure pots are clean and of the required size.

If stakes are needed to show the plant to its best advantage they should be neat and unobtrusive.

A pot plant is judged on the quality of its foliage as well as its flowers. Judges look for quality, so size is a meritorious characteristic only if accompanied by quality.

Vegetable exhibits should be in as good a condition as possible, ie unbroken skins and free of blemishes, pest damage and disease. 

Vegetables should have a fresh colour and the shape should be typical for the cultivar.

They should be carefully cleaned to avoid any damage - try using a sponge rather than a brush. Try to preserve the natural bloom. They should not be oiled.

Try to display them as attractively as possible in accordance with the rules and schedules. For example, beans are traditionally arranged in a straight line and carrots in a fan while radishes look good in a wheel.

Where possible, it’s a good idea to take a few extra specimens in case of mishaps.

When assessing the exhibits, judges may, for example, snap pea and bean pods to check the quality.

The following advice is in line with National Vegetable Society guidance:

Beans – Broad: Pods should be well -filled and without gaps between the beans which should still be attached to the pod. Display direct on the bench or on a plate. They should all face the same way.

Beans - French, Climbing or Dwarf: Straight, fresh pods with stalks intact and uniform tails.  There should not be any outward sign of seeds. Display with the tails pointing the same way.

Beans - Runner: Pods should be long and straight with stalks and no outward sign of prominent seeds. Display as above.

Beetroot - Globe: They should have a single firm taproot with the smooth skin and a colour and shape appropriate to the cultivar. They should be about the size of a tennis ball. The foliage should be trimmed to approximately 75mm.

Beetroot - Long or Cylindrical: Long beetroot should have firm well-shaped tap roots and be free of side roots and growths. They should be evenly tapered with round symmetrical shoulders and with a good weight down the full length.  Cylindrical beetroot should have straight roots and finish with a stump/bull nose and be about 100-150mm long. The foliage of both should be trimmed to approximately 75mm. 

Cabbages: Cabbages should have shapely and solid heads with turgid surrounding leaves and the bloom intact. They should have about 75mm of stalk.

Calabrese: The heads should be firm with a good shape and without loose side spears. There should not be any signs of flowering. 

Capsicums - Chilli Peppers and Sweet Peppers: They should have fresh brightly coloured fruits which are uniform in shape, colour and size appropriate to the cultivar. They should have clear evidence of a fresh stalk. 

Carrots: Long-pointed carrots should have firm, straight, long and smooth roots with no splits. Tap roots should be intact without side roots or other blemishes.  Stump-rooted carrots should have a definite stump (blunt end) and an intact tap root. There should be no greening of the shoulders. Foliage of both should be trimmed to about 75 mm. 

Cauliflowers: The heads should have symmetrical close, solid white curds with about 75 mms of stalk and foliage neatly trimmed to reveal the curd.  Viewed from above it should be circular and from the side it should have a medium shaped dome. The diameter should be around 200 mm.

Celery: Blanched or trenched celery should be medium to large and well-matched.  Also, well blanched with firm crisp leaf stalks (petioles), dark green foliage and no signs of heart rot.

Courgettes: Young, tender fruits with a good shape and colour, about 150mm long and about 25-35mm in diameter.  Round cultivars should be about 75mm in diameter.  They can be of any colour but should be well matched.  They can be shown with or without flowers.

Cucumbers – glass and grown out of doors: They should have young, firm, green, straight fruits of uniform thickness with short handles (ie the portion of the fruit closest to the stems) and unmarked skin with its natural bloom. They are preferably shown with flowers still attached but this is not essential. 

Herbs: The foliage should be fresh, healthy, clean and blemish free. The exhibit should be well bunched in individual containers.

Leeks: The barrel should be firm with no split skins or signs of bulbing or ribbing and should be similar in size.  The root plate should be intact.  The buttons should be tight. When presenting, the roots should be left on but cleaned.  The flags (foliage) should also be left but can be tied neatly with raffia in several places.

Lettuce – butterhead, cos, crisp and loose-leaf: Heads should be well-matched with a firm heart, clean and dry.  Roots should be washed, wrapped in moist tissue and then placed in a plastic bag to keep them fresh. The hearts should face the front of the bench.

Marrows: They should be fresh and young.  They should be less than 350mm in length or, if round, should be about 500mm in circumference.

Onions – 75mm diameter or less: Firm with similar shape and colour with roots trimmed back to the basal plate and tied with natural raffia. 

Onions – over 75mm diameter: Size should ideally be 100mm or more.  Otherwise the merits and presentation should be as for the small onion class.

Onions – green salad: The tender leaves should have white stems with no bulbing at the base. The tips should not be trimmed.

Parsnips: Should be well-grown with a good white colour, firm and straight.  They should have round symmetrical shoulders and a good uniform weight down the full length. The foliage should be trimmed to about 75mm.

Peas – mangetout or snap: Pods should be young with the bloom intact.  Freshness is key so they should not be overdeveloped.

Peas: Large, long pods with bloom intact and with stalks, calyx and stigma intact.  The pods should be well filled with tender peas.  Presentation is usually in a row with all stalks trimmed to an even length.  Handle by the stalk to help preserve the natural bloom.

Potatoes: Potatoes should ideally weigh 200-250 grams and be of equal size and shape.  They should be well-shaped and free of blemishes with unbroken skin and shallow eyes. For presentation they should be carefully washed. They must not be polished.

Pumpkins: Pumpkins should be shapely and firm with a good colour and the stalk attached.                                          

Radishes, salad: They should have firm, young, tender and well-coloured roots.  The foliage is usually trimmed to about 30mm.

Radishes – oriental or winter: Fresh roots, well-coloured in accordance with the cultivar.  The foliage should be cleaned but not removed.

Rhubarb – forced: It should have fresh, firm, long, brightly coloured uniform stalks with well developed colouring and small underdeveloped leaves.  The external colour should be a uniform pale pink.

Shallots – exhibition: Each should be a good sized “single bulb” with a circular outline with no signs of dividing, well ripened and free from greening or purpling at the base.  The roots should be neatly trimmed and necks tied with natural raffia.  They are best presented on dry silver sand.

Shallots – pickling: Each specimen should be a single spherical bulb without flat sides or evidence of dividing.  They should be without greening or purpling and with neatly trimmed roots and neatly tied necks with natural raffia.  Each bulb must pass freely through a 30mm ring gauge.  Display as above.

Squashes: These should be as Pumpkins.

Sweet Corn: The cobs should be fresh and cylindrical, of good length and with well-set grains throughout to the tip, with straight rows of undamaged plump, tender grains and fresh green husks with the silk still attached. A narrow strip of the husk should be removed to expose the grain shortly before judging.

Tomatoes – medium: They should be approx. 60mm in diameter, well-shaped, rounded, ripe but firm. Colour should be appropriate to the cultivar.  The calyces must be attached.

Tomatoes – large (beefsteak type): Fruits should not be less than 75mm in diameter and not green-backed.  Otherwise as medium tomatoes. 

Tomatoes – small/cherry: The size should not exceed 35mm in diameter and they should be shaped according to cultivar.  Otherwise the merits are as medium and large. 

Tomatoes - truss: The truss should not have any missing fruits and should gradually reduce or taper down from ripe edible fruits to a number of smaller immature unripe fruits. Ideally at least 1/3 of the fruit should be fully ripe.  Trusses can be single or double.

Turnips: They should be clean, clear skinned solid shapely roots with small single taproots with size, shape and colour appropriate to the cultivar.

Fruit should be in as good a condition as possible, ie unbroken skins and free of blemishes, pest damage and disease. 

Fruit should have a fresh colour and the shape should be typical for the cultivar.

They should be carefully cleaned to avoid any damage.  Try to preserve the natural bloom.  They should not be oiled.

Try to display them as attractively as possible in accordance with the rules and schedules.  For example, raspberries are traditionally arranged in a circle and pears with their stalks pointing inwards.

Where possible, it’s a good idea to take a few extra specimens in case of mishaps.

The following information is based on the Royal Horticultural Society’s guides to exhibiting fruit:

Apples, gooseberries, medlars, pears and quinces may be shown ripe or unripe. Everything else should be ripe unless otherwise specified.  Preference will be given to cultivars in season rather than larger showy cultivars picked prematurely. 

Re size, all fruits except dessert apples should be of good size for the cultivar but an overly large size should not be preferred at the expense of quality.

Unless specified, fruits should be shown with stalks.

As a general rule, apples and similar-shaped fruits should be shown stalk end facing down.

Apples: Cooking apples should be large and shapely with undamaged eyes, stalks intact and unblemished skins. Dessert apples should be as above and characteristic of the cultivar. They should be about 75mm in diameter unless the cultivars are inherently large or small.

Apricots: Fruits should be large and highly coloured, handle carefully to preserve the bloom. They should be shown without stalks. Presentation - in lines or a circular arrangement. 

Blackberries: They should be large with fresh calyces and have stalks.  Presentation – arrange in a line with stalks pointing the same way or in a circle with stalks pointing out, a combination of the two. They also look good in full sprigs.

Cherries: Sour cherries should be large with a brilliant colour and unshrivelled stalks. Sweet cherries as above. Presentation – lay out in lines with the stalks in the same direction or in a circle with stalks pointing outwards.                                   

Currants: Blackcurrant strigs should have a full complement of uniform and bright looking berries with fresh stalks (a strig is a complete receme or panicle of berries). Currants other than black as above.  Presentation – they may be neatly spread across the centre of a plate or formed into a ring with the stalk ends pointing out, especially if the cultivar produces naturally short strigs.

Damsons and Bullaces: These should be carrying perfect bloom and have stalks (otherwise judges may dock points). Presentation – either in a circle or symmetrical lines.

Figs: Slight splitting is not a defect in ripe fruit.They should have bloom and stalks intact. Presentation - stage in a circle on a plate. Round figs look best sat with stalks uppermost and long-bodied figs are best placed flat on the plate with the stalks in the centre.

Gooseberries: They may be ripe or unripe as appropriate for the season and be complete with stalks. Presentation - they look best in a ring with the stalks pointing inwards and the tails (remnants of the flowers) pointing out.

Grapes, Indoor/Glasshouse: Bunches should be large and complete. It is better to have smaller bunches of a good quality than large, poor quality bunches. Bunches should be symmetrical and well-balanced and properly thinned so each berry has had room to develop. There should be a dense, intact bloom. Presentation – they should be shown with a piece of lateral stem on either side of the stalk to form a T-handle. They can be presented on a stand or simply arranged on a plate.

Grapes, Outdoor:  Bunches should be complete, well-filled and balanced with a dense, intact bloom.  Presentation – fruit should be cut from the vine with about 50mm of stalk.

Hybrid Berries: They should be large with fresh calyces and have stalks.  Examples are loganberries, tayberries and boysenberries.

Medlars: Skins should be clean and stalks should be intact with size according to cultivar.  They should preferably be shown ripe but can be shown unripe.  Presentation - arrange in a circle with the stalks facing inwards.

Melons: Fruits should be clean, shapely and well finished. They should be cut from the vine with approx. 50mm of stalk.

Nectarines: They should be large for the cultivar, with well developed colour.  Take care they are free from bruises.  They should be shown without stalks.

Peaches:  As nectarines.

Pears: Cooking pears should be large with undamaged eyes and intact stalks. Dessert pears as above.  Presentation – best stage flat placed neatly with stalks towards the centre but rounder cultivars may be staged like apples.

Plums: Cooking plums should have good bloom and stalks. Dessert plums as above. Presentation – stage on their sides either in a circle with stalks facing inwards or in symmetrical lines with stalks pointing the same way.

Quinces: Fruits should be shapely with eyes and stalks intact. Presentation – pear shaped cultivars are best staged as pears and rounder ones like apples.

Raspberries: Fruits should be large and ripe with fresh calyces and stalks.  Presentation should be neat and symmetrical – they look good in near rows with stalks pointing in the same direction or can be arranged in circle around the plate with stalks pointing out.

Strawberries: Fruits should look bright and fresh with good ripening throughout (not “hard-nosed”).  They should have fresh calyces and stalks.  Presentation – lay in neat lines or a circle with stalks pointing the same way.

Exhibits can be brought complete or assembled on site, but must be the exhibitor's own work.

Exhibits should compose of fresh or dried, natural plant material, with or without bases and accessories, unless otherwise stated; and the flowers don’t need to be expensive ones found at the florists.

Select well-conditioned flowers and foliage for use in your exhibits.

Soak your flowers and foliage well in water before use (almost to the bottom of the flowers)

Exhibits can use shop-bought materials (flowers/foliage/props) for floral art classes.

No artificial flowers/foliage to be used, unless otherwise stated in the class rules.

Floral foam, if used, should not be seen. We encourage the use of biodegradable floral foam.

Check the Schedule carefully for the size of your arrangement.

NB: Entries in this section must be pre-notified to the Secretary by 9pm on the Wednesday before to the show. Entries that have not been pre-notified are accepted only if there is space available. Contact details can be found in the Schedule here.

Liquid honey: Liquid honey should be as clear as possible, no excessive pollen, bits of bee legs etc, and must not show any signs of crystalization. The jar must be sufficiently full - in ministry jars that means that you should see no daylight between the bottom of the lid and the honey.

Soft Creamed honey: There should be a firm, dry and matt or slight sheen surface. The consistency should be that of soft butter.

Granulated Honey: There should be uniform colour. The surface should be firm and dry and the texture finely grained. The exhibit may be downgraded if matter such as black specks can be seen at the bottom or the sides of the jar, if there is shrinkage, light frosting or air bubbles, or if there are signed of fermentation.

Heather honey: The judge is looking for a rich brightness, port wine colour, pleasant flavour and aroma.

Frames: The wood should be clean but the judge should accept slight propolis staining. Generally if it is for extraction the comb should have been drawn from wired foundation and should stand proud of the frame to facilitate uncapping.

Comb honey: All frames, sections and cut comb should be in accordance with the show schedule. Pay particular attention to the correct presentation and to the weight specification. All combs should be well filled with few (if any) empty cells round the edge. Cappings should form a level surface.

More comprehensive guidance can be found at scottishbeekeepers.org.uk

All entries are to be well filled, wax sealed, cellophane covered and unbroken. No metal lids.

There should not be any brand names on the jars or lids.  Old commercial labels must be removed. 

Jars must be properly labelled. Labels should be clearly marked with the type of jam or jelly and the date of making. They should be stuck on straight, about ¾ of the way down the jar.

Ensure the jars are clean without any stickiness or fingerprints.  

Tips for Good Preserves:

All contents should be bright and of good colour.  

Jellies: these must be sparkling clear and well set, though never stiff.  

Jams: a good jam will have an even distribution of fruit. To ensure this, cool the jam for five minutes after setting point is reached, then stir it before potting into jars.  

Chutneys: they should have been made at least 3 months before the Show to give the preserve time to mature and develop its flavour.

Lemon curd: this is a conserve (not a preserve) so it should ideally be made within a few days of the show but it should not be made more than 2 weeks before the show as it deteriorates quickly. Lemon curd should be set but not curdled, have a good fresh lemon flavour and not too much sweetness. Cover the same as jam. 

The judge will sample the preserves to check the consistency and taste.

TBC

The first thing to be looked at is the appearance, the judge will give a quick look at all the exhibits in the class.

The food will be cut and tasted. Correct texture and flavour will be considered.

The final decision will be made looking at all the exhibits again.

It is the actual baking that will be judged so no need to serve on any fancy plates (unless a display is being judged) paper plates are fine.

Read the schedule carefully make sure that you note all the instructions such as the correct shaped cake tin and any presentation requirements. If the item does not match the description, it will be disqualified.

Do try out recipes before baking your final exhibit for the Show to ensure good flavour, texture, cooking time and temperature of your oven.

All judges will not come to the same decision, it is the judge on the day that has the final decision on the placings.

Large cakes: check for size and shape of tin, the cake should be moist, texture should be even with no large air holes, top reasonably flat with no cracks and fruit evenly placed throughout the cake.

Sponges/loaves: flat top, soft and springy to touch, even texture, check tin size and if filling is required.

Whisked egg sponges: take care when making to keep as much air in as possible, should be very light and soft to touch and not too dry.

Scones: make using a hot oven, use a plain cutter for savoury scones and a fluted one for sweet ones, gentle handling and have them the same size, need to be light and well risen, check number required.

Biscuits: need to be evenly sized and crisp, should snap when broken, leave on baking tray to firm, any decoration should be neat and not used to hide overcooked biscuits, check if a variety is needed.

Sweets: must be correct texture e.g. fudge, tablet or toffee, mixture needs to be smooth - no sugar crystals, have correct number of pieces the same size with neat sharp edges.

Entries in the craft section must not have been exhibited at previous years’ shows.

Entries should follow the class requirements set out in the Schedule, including dimensions, colour specifications, material specifications etc.

Entries should be clean and well finished.