StartupCafe

This year’s Royal Highland Show – an annual four-day event where farmers exhibit their livestock and food manufacturers sell their delightful products – was held at Ingliston, near Edinburgh Airport. I was there on the third day (Saturday), when the weather was warm and muggy, and it looked like a roaring success judging by the number of visitors. The indoor portion of the event housed stalls selling marshmallows, chocolates, ice-creams and wines to name but a few while the outdoor portion was used for watching livestock displays – horses and cattle. Hundreds of visitors wove their way between the stalls and shows.

I was there to help a friend with his stall. We were selling four varieties of sugar-free, natural jam. As I prepared samples for people to try, an old man in a hat approached me and asked if we made rhubarb jam. “Yes, we do. This jam here is rhubarb and ginger” I replied. The old man told me that he grew his own rhubarb. He leaned in and softly, with a twinkle in his eye, said: “My rhubarb isn’t just organic….it’s orgasmic!” Then he winked! I burst into peals of laughter and hoped it would attract a larger crowd of buyers. The old man ate some free samples, talked a little more and eventually left without buying a single thing!

But typically we were selling jars of jam by lots of threes or sixes thanks to the excellent pricing strategy of my jam-making friend coupled with our happy, smiling faces and a willingness to talk to anyone who so much as looked in our direction!

Outside, friends and families were sprawled across any available grassy surfaces eating burgers or sweets and resting after spending hours walking around. The atmosphere overall was filled with the contentment that food, open air and warm temperatures can bring. ASDA and LIDL had built up temporary stores. LIDL staff stood outside singing and dancing to the YMCA song to attract people. At one point they threw out freebies to the crowds and were greeted with roars of approval.

I wandered into a beer tent and ordered a gin and tonic without specifying exactly what I wanted. I watched the bartender drop a shot of Gordon’s gin into my glass.  As I sipped my drink I looked around to find the tent filled mainly with men, faces flushed from alcohol consumption, of varying ages, laughing and joking but generally well-behaved.

I then returned to the indoor area. For most of the day I stood at my friend’s stall repeating the same lines: “We have orange & passionfruit, blackcurrant & blueberry….” “It’s all fruit and fruit juice – no added sugars.” “Don’t be afraid of the rhubarb and ginger – try it and see. You might surprise yourself.”

One woman tried a bit of rhubarb and ginger jam and after a couple of seconds her eyes rolled in pleasure and she lowered her eyelids as she quietly enjoyed the taste. I told her I wanted to take a photograph as it would’ve been a perfect advertisement for the jam we were selling. She bought 3 jars.