"It's been one of our best shows," said show secretary and treasurer, Alan Crisp, at the annual horticultural show on Sunday.

"There were entries in every one of the 70 classes and we had three times the entries compared to last year in the vegetable section."

The show reflected the increasing interest in growing fresh – often organic – fruit and vegetables.

But the show was about more than just providing garden produce for the table.

There were cookery and craft sections and a very special class for the Creakes' Rose, a species named after the two villages by a specialist grower with connections with North Creake.

Many visitors were drawn to a memorabilia exhibition organised by Peter and Yvonne Autie.

Of special interest was an 1839 tithe apportionment map showing the name of every field in the parish.

Many were simply described by their acreage but some were more imaginatively named such as Rottenhoe Close, Middle Drift Beck and Black Hill and what must have been a low-lying and water-logged stretch of land known as Mud Croft.

How prices have rocketed was underlined by a 1936 auction poster offering in excess of an acre of land for a rental of £5 a year, plus a tithe rent of 9/4d (47p).

Also on show was the North Creake schools' well-filled 1902 punishment book.

Every sore behind was carefully recorded.

The collated 1901 Census returns showed many agricultural labourers but also a shirt-maker, shoe and boot-makers, a music teacher, and a governess.

Prizes were presented by Gordon Turner, owner of Fakenham Garden Centre, who has been a staunch supporter of the show since its inception 12 years ago.

Principal winners: Overall winner: Pam Green; best exhibit in show: Patricia Robinson; best rose: Colette Philips; best cookery: Lorna Goodall; best craft: Pam Green; best photograph: Pam Green.