Country diary: Rare Wensleydale sheep have their day in the sun | Andrea Meanwell

Garstang, Lancashire: With fedora and broken shepherd’s crook, I was a judge at an agricultural show, inspecting the mouths and fleeces of some fantastic breeds As I walked across the show field in the sunshine on my way to the secretary’s tent, my shepherd’s crook snapped in half. On closer inspection, it was riddled with woodworm – not the best start to a day of judging at the Garstang agricultural show. The event was first held in 1813, and it was an honour to be asked to judge the native sheep this year. I was smartly dressed in tweed and a fedora – and a stick that was hastily cobbled back together by one of the stewards with gaffer tape.It is quite a job comparing different breeds, and I had spent the week beforehand learning what was desirable and what was considered a “fault” among upland breeds such as Clun Forest, Derbyshire Gritstone and Welsh Badger Face (Torduu and Torwen), and among lowland ones including Border Leicester, Coloured Ryeland and Wensleydale. Continue reading...