Radzi and the Pea Harvest Blue Peter Bite

This is Blue Peter, but mini.

Expect epic adventures, makes, bakes, badges, pets,

presenters and your post.

We've only got five minutes, so get ready for your Blue Peter adventure.

Radzi, Radzi, wake up, wake up!

Mum, I don't want to go to school today!

Come on, come on, we've got to go and harvest the peas!

Why am I asleep in a field?

It's a good question, and the answer lies with these.

Peas! The UK loves peas,

with farms growing more than two billion portions per year,

which is incredible!

But what's even more incredible

is the race against time it takes to harvest them.

A race that starts very early in the morning.

So I'm here in Lincolnshire

in one of the biggest pea-harvesting farms in the UK

to help explain to you how peas go from here

to on your dinner plate at home.

And to help do that is pea-grower, farmer

and all-round pea guru Stephen Francis.

Most of the 9,000 peas that the average person eats

in Britain are frozen,

and to get them in the freezer tasting as good as possible,

Stephen's farm don't mess around.

We're here this morning to harvest these peas.

As soon as those harvesters start rolling and the pod breaks,

those particular peas must be frozen in 150 minutes

to retain all the flavour in them.

150 minutes? How do they do that?

I'm going to follow the pea every step of the way.

Time starts...now!

First up, picking.

The guys here COULD pick their 5,000 acres by hand, or...

..they could use some serious technology.

This harvester can pick more than 300 peas every single second!

And I'm getting a "peas" of the action!

Obviously we're against the clock

to try to get the peas to the factory in time,

so we've got to be as efficient as we possibly can.

You're always trying to make sure that you're using the full width

-of the harvester every single time you go up...

-Yeah.

-..and every single time you go down.

-That's it. Yep.

And this bad boy doesn't just pick the peas - it then sucks them out

of their pods, giving us the little green balls we all know and love.

Tom, I've genuinely enjoyed watching you drive this thing.

Would be possible for me to sit in the driver's seat?

Yeah, I think you can do.

-Yes!

-Not a problem.

We are off...

You're harvesting peas!

We're harvesting peas!

Just keep it straight.

The reason I can't talk now is

this is like when you first learn to ride a bike.

It takes all of your concentration.

Here you go, Radzi. Here's what you've been harvesting!

Wow!

That is interactive harvesting!

I've literally just harvested that

and you're now seeing it on Blue Peter!

Mum, I just harvested some peas!

Now we've just got to take this lot over to the factory.

One hour gone

and the peas' journey has only begun.

Next, they need to be prepared

so they're good enough for the end of your fork,

and that happens in the biggest factory I have ever seen.

Stuart is the man who can show me what happens here, after he puts me

in a wicked hairnet!

This is where we try and get rid of

any of the material that's come off the field

and cleaned up before it goes into

the blanching and freezing operation.

-And that, I take, is inside?

-That's inside.

-Can we go there now?

-You certainly can.

-Amazing.

Once cleaned, the next stop is blanching - boiling the peas

so they're fresh for freezing.

This happens as quickly as possible

in a very noisy part of the factory.

What is going on here?

I don't have a clue what he said!

And to freeze this many peas, you need a serious freezer.

Is that the best freezer you've ever seen in your life?!

I genuinely feel like I'm in the North Pole!

And this machine gives the peas

the sort of treatment Anna and Elsa would be proud of.

You know, like in the film! It's Frozen. Ah, forget it.

Wow!

The work at this farm

is really un-pea-lievable. Ha!

And it's been fascinating to see what goes into the humble pea.

But all these guys' incredible efforts have inspired me.

Thank you very much, madam.

There is a pea world record set with the most number of peas eaten

with chopsticks in one hour.

That number is 7,000.

Off we go.

Now, I've had absolutely no practice for this, whatsoever.

Although that's never stopped me before.

But it soon becomes clear that I'm way off record pace.

So I'm not a world record holder, I think it's safe to say,

but you know what? I'm not even bothered anyway,

I've had such a good day.

From farms to your plates at home - easy-peasy.

It's peas, because it's like the...

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