Apples and Pears The Farmers' Country Showdown

Across the country,

thousands of farming families work tirelessly around the clock.

-Bring them up, Isobel. Well done.

-Here they come.

Shake it, baby, shake it.

-But there's one day each year...

-Come on, girl. Up you go.

..when they get to leave the daily routine behind.

Woohoo!

These are show days...

Welcome to the Pembrokeshire County Show.

..when they come together as a community...

Salute!

..to showcase the fruits of their labour...

Had a quick look at the competition. I'm in with a chance.

..and try to win prizes for their breed champions...

Well done. Wahey!

It's show business, folks.

-..and award-winning produce.

-I got first!

-LAUGHTER

-You can have the last two jars.

-There will be highs...

Yes!

..and lows...

No, no, no, no!

..for the dedicated farmers who give everything to walk away a champion.

No way!

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Apples have been grown in this country since before the Romans arrived.

These have reddened up since I was last here.

We grow over three quarters of a million tonnes of fruit every

year, and apples make up a staggering 42% of this.

To see a full orchard of apples is very close to my heart.

Today we meet two fruit-farming

families who are helping to supply the nation.

I love apples, I love growing fruit.

Simon and Elaine Parker...

..and the Clives - Jane, Sally, Rich and Charlie....

I definitely think you're born with the farming bug.

..are all preparing to show their best apples and pears, and what they

make from them, at this year's Malvern Autumn Show.

-Ours are green enough, yeah?

-Yeah.

It's a chance to display them with pride and hopefully bring home

some of the coveted industry awards.

I have to say, I think ours are looking the best.

In Herefordshire, husband and wife team Simon and Elaine are busy on

their 250-acre farm.

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The family also includes their two children, Brooke and Evina,

and Simon's 92-year-old father, Barry.

The Parkers grow the two traditional crops associated with

this area - apples and hops.

I like to think we're a true Herefordshire farm,

with hops and cider apples.

And we have some Ryeland sheep, which are indigenous to this area.

We also run free-range hens as well, for eggs for supermarket shelves.

Apples have been a mainstay of Herefordshire farming for 400 years.

Due to its milder climate, Herefordshire has more apple

orchards than any other county in the UK.

There's always been apples, as far as I can remember.

There was a very old cider orchard up there when I was a kid.

And there's always been Bramleys on the farm.

Growing up around such a rich apple heritage means it will always have a

special place in Simon's heart.

-I love apples. I wish I grew more.

-HE CHUCKLES

It's the accomplishment, I think, is the most important aspect.

It's the growing of the crop and harvesting it.

You're not growing just for the season, you're growing for the future years as well.

Every decision you make this year, it has an effect the next year as well.

My father's been here all his life.

He prides himself that he's spent 92 years living in one house,

and that he's living in the bedroom that he was born in.

Oh, he's still very much part of a business, he's completely with it.

He still signs most of the cheques. He likes to do the VAT.

He analyses all the production figures and goes through everything

with a fine-toothed comb.

My father and his brother bought it in 1920, I think.

When he wanted to get married, they bought this place.

They were farming up near Hereford at that time.

With multi-generational farming comes inevitable changes,

and Barry is open to it all.

Changes are more growth than anything.

Simon loves his fruit and hops, just because he's enlarged on

what I started, I suppose.

I started in a very minor way,

and Simon's taken it on.

While Simon loves his crops, Elaine has a passion of her own.

-Come on, sheep!

-Baa!

Come on, lambs!

A flock of over 140 sheep takes a lot of care,

and five-year-old Evina loves giving Elaine a helping hand.

Well done, Evina. He's walking nice.

That's it.

These are some of the pedigree lambs.

These are all the lambs we've got left from this year.

So half of them are commercial and the other half, like this one,

is a pedigree one. She was bottle-fed, so she's super-friendly.

-No, no!

-You've got him.

So, these are Ryelands. I've got the white ones, which are the pure

Ryelands, and then the coloured Ryelands.

So I've got a mixed flock. Come, then, you guys.

I do a few of the local shows. I don't travel too far to do it.

It's something that is a bit of a hobby and fits in, but it's nice to

see other sheep farmers and see the other sheep out there,

and maybe go shopping occasionally.

Come rain or shine, Elaine and Simon are out every day, working the farm.

I don't mind rain, actually. Simon is definitely a fair-weather farmer.

The plants are there all year round, so he just chooses when to go and

check them, and goes out on nice days.

Come on then.

As well as his apples, Simon is very fond of his hops.

These green buds grew here long before the Parker family

bought the land,

and the family now produce them for breweries.

There is a map of the farm from 1890,

when the estate, the original huge estate from the area was broken up,

and there was hops on this farm then, and it's just in my lifeblood.

My father's...loves his hops, and I've loved my hops since.

It's, it's a unique crop.

There's only 50 of us here in the country, and I'm very

pleased to be one of the few hop growers around.

But nothing in farming ever stands still.

Elaine and Simon have come up with an innovative and lucrative way to

sell directly to customers,

without taking them away from their day-to-day farming chores.

Most people in farming have said, "You've got to get bigger or get out.

"You need to go into something in a really big way or you need to diversify."

And this is just a way of doing that, really.

Getting our produce to more customers

and just adding something else to the farm.

Where a lot of farmers have opened a farm shop,

the Parkers have come up with an idea that runs itself.

I think it's just convenience.

People want the farm fresh stuff, but they don't want to have to go

to a farm shop, which is obviously

more expensive, because they have to run their own shop,

and they don't always fit in with the hours.

Whereas people here just drive past, call in if they want something,

-and the kids love it.

-The vending machine has been very successful -

it shifts half a tonne of fruit a year -

and the family are now considering what else they can sell from it.

We are looking at putting the hops in, possibly,

as a kind of vacuum pack for people that do home brews,

but we haven't got up and running with that yet.

They'll go in somehow. Some way, they will fit a hop vine in there.

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Nestled between the Malvern Hills and the River Severn

is the home of the Clive family.

Jane, Charlie and their children - 22-year-old Richard,

19-year-old Sally, and 13-year-old Joe.

The Clives have lived here since Charlie's grandfather bought the

place in the 1920s.

I was born here, so was my father.

When I was a young lad,

the fruit trees were really just to keep the pigs underneath,

and they were just little orchards with pigs in them,

and my father turned it into a commercial fruit farm

in his time, so the pigs went very shortly.

Growing up amongst the apples and pears

cemented Charlie's love for fruit farming.

My passion is growing apples. If I could just grow apples and sell them

-at a profit, that's what I'd do.

-You'd be quite happy, wouldn't you?

-LAUGHTER

To see a crop ready to be picked,

to see a full orchard of apples, is, is my...

Very, very close to my heart.

Sadly, a fluctuating market has meant they can't rely solely on

fruit to keep the farm afloat.

When we got married, we needed more...a more stable income,

and fruit sales on the wholesale market wasn't...

..wasn't very profitable at all.

So, to save their farm, the Clives had to diversify.

They now have a shop and a cafe,

while Jane also runs a children's nursery.

..lots of settling in sessions from babies...

Good, anything messy they love, don't they? Yeah.

A nursery might seem an odd thing to find on a food farm, but Jane wasn't

always a farmer.

I'm a Yorkshire lass, and I was a wholesale ironmonger's daughter,

so far from farming, really.

I was a nurse midwife and health visitor by trade,

and so my husband decided, well, he put it to me that, you

know, we might like to open a children's nursery on the farm.

So we did actually turn a pig pen into a children's nursery.

Of her own children,

it's 22-year-old Richard who is most involved with the farm.

I definitely think you're born with the farming bug.

So you've got to be used to working long hours and just putting the time in when it's needed.

You can have a break sometimes, but most of the time it's

pretty ruthless.

I've worked on the farm ever since, ever since I could do anything on

the farm, I've always worked here,

and I've been full-time for four years now.

They grow nearly 24 varieties of apples.

Around 80% of them are turned into juice.

Dad's in charge of growing, I'm in charge of producing the fruit juice.

So, in charge of the pressing room and the bottling room, and also what

happens to the juice once it is bottled.

So, who it goes to, finding new customers and everything like that.

Starting from a young age has really helped in the knowledge of

everything we do here, learning a lot off dad, which is the main thing.

He knows everything, but we do beg to differ that sometimes.

But, yeah, no, it's all good fun, working here on the farm.

Over in Herefordshire, Simon and Elaine are getting ready for

tomorrow's Malvern Autumn Show.

Oh! These have reddened up since I was last here.

This year they're entering five different varieties,

but it's the eight acres of Bramley cooking apples that Simon and Elaine

are most invested in.

I did plant it as a bit of a whim, without a contract.

And, at the moment now, it's costing me.

I'm too big for wholesale and too small for the supermarket,

and I'm caught in a bit of no-man's land.

So, at the moment,

unless we can do some prize-winning and shift a lot of Bramleys,

I'm thinking about pulling this orchard out.

It would be very heartbreaking. I love apples. I love growing fruit.

It's not just the Bramley orchard at stake this year.

A good result is essential to the farm.

Winning would enhance our reputation in the industry, but I'd like to

think, locally, it would give us recognition locally, and that's

what I want, that's where my consumers are.

We've had a few firsts and a few thirds but we haven't yet had

champion in a show.

Not yet. Champion of the show is the next big...big hit.

Of course, success depends on finding the perfect apple.

To enter the show, they need not one, but a whole boxful

-of each variety.

-Too big.

But finding a few show-stopping fruit out of thousands takes skill

and an experienced eye.

-It's not just colour they're looking out for.

-Right.

The Malvern Show has very strict guidelines for selection,

and if you want to win, you need to take them seriously.

-Try that one. No, it's too small.

-Too small.

-Yeah.

We are looking for the best fruit. Basically, our biggest problem now

is finding them in the right size, because there's

size parameters in the competition.

We need 40 in the tray for the presentation, when they go into

competition. So we're going to pick 60 and then we'll choose the best

40 that'll go in the tray and that are all uniform.

It's uniformity - as long as they all look the same,

that's what we're aiming for.

We've got to spend hours picking and grading fruit to the right size.

It'll probably take two hours per variety,

and we've entered four dessert fruit as well, and the Bramleys on top.

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13 miles away, in the neighbouring county,

the Clive family are also ready to pick.

Do you two want to take that side, that row? OK, we'll put the boxes

in the middle, OK, and we'll take this side.

With over 50 acres of orchards to cover,

Jane is marshalling her troops for the big selection.

Right, come on. Off we go.

The Clives are entering apples and pears in nine categories...

OK, right, are we ready? Concorde pears.

..so organisation and efficiency is the key to Jane's picking strategy.

OK, girls, off you go.

Fairly green, but with a bit of blush on.

Long, straight, but not too long.

How are you doing, boys?

Next stage of the battle plan is some very precise polishing and an

eye for detail.

That looks better in there, think that looks better in there.

Luckily, her friend, Kippy, has come over to help.

That looks all right. Any I should swap, any that just look a bit

out of place anywhere? A bit big.

Does that one need to be swapped with that one, possibly?

Might look a bit better there.

-That one's a little bit paler, isn't it?

-It is, isn't it?

Let's swap them around.

It is good fun, searching for perfection.

-Or as close to perfection as you can get, I guess.

-Yes, yeah.

-Have to strive to be the best.

-Mm-hmm. Yeah.

-Yeah. I think.

-Yeah.

-Would you agree?

Yeah, it is, it's the sort of recognition of... I mean,

-that's a whole year's work, isn't it?

-It is.

-To get an apple to that, or a pear, is...yeah.

-Yeah.

Show rules also state, all apples must face the same way in the trade,

with the eye of the apple facing the end of the box.

Obviously, you've got to be very careful you don't dig your

fingernails in, so you shouldn't really be wearing

-stoned rings or anything.

-No...

-LAUGHTER

-I left my diamonds at home.

-Oh, have you really?

Great care is put into every stage,

and Charlie knows all too well how easy it is

to stumble at the last hurdle.

The yard's always been on a slope,

-and one of Richard's friends was helping, just...

-Trying to be helpful.

-Trying to be helpful,

just help Jane put all the apples in the car, which she's lovingly put

into their cases and packed and polished, and he tripped over the

step, and the russets did roll down the yard,

and so they've been known as "rolling russets" ever since then.

-And I heard a little, "I'm sorry, Auntie Jane."

-LAUGHTER

-Right, carefully does it.

-Slide it in.

Carefully, carefully does it.

After a year of growing and planning,

and with the best selection made,

it's finally time to head off for the show.

Elaine and Simon have five crates of what they hope

are the perfect apples.

-Out the way, Ruby, out the way.

-Yeah, don't trip me up, whatever you do.

-Don't jump up.

The clock is ticking,

because the deadline for all entries is 4:45pm.

Any later and they face disqualification.

SOARING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS

Sitting in the shadows of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire,

the Malvern Autumn Show is coming to life.

Over the next two days,

the Orchard Tent will be brim-full of apples and pears of all varieties.

Fruit growers from far and wide are gathering to show off what they have

grown so carefully.

Unlike other competitions, fruit is done a little different.

-Right, OK...

-Entries are submitted the day before the show starts.

-You going to take those?

-The fruit will be judged tonight,

but the families will only see the results tomorrow.

Jane and her younger son, Joe,

have arrived a leisurely one hour before submission deadline.

-Right, now, where do you want these?

-Concorde on the end there.

-Yeah.

-Russet.

-Russets are over here.

-Thank you.

Jane is entering nine apple and pear categories.

There we are, darling.

And in charge of making sure everything goes where it's supposed

to is Jonathan the steward.

Because this is a commercial competition,

we're looking for criteria that, say, a supermarket

would be looking for. So, uniformity of size and shape,

freedom from blemish, lack of pest and disease.

Just very high-quality sample of fruit.

OK, right, let's go and get some more.

We've got the pears in there.

Pop these round a bit like this, so they're a bit on the diagonal.

Or shall we sit them upright? I think everybody else has put theirs

on the diagonal, haven't they? Those look beautiful, don't they?

-Those next door.

-Eyeing up the competition.

-I know, absolutely!

-HE CHUCKLES

I know, you think yours are good, don't you, until you put them next

-to somebody else's, and then...

-SHE CHUCKLES

-There? OK. Perfect. Right. More?

-Yep.

One of the more popular exhibits is the Heaviest Apple competition,

and this year Jane has made a bold move.

They're whoppers, they are whoppers. In fact,

our Howgates were bigger than our Bramleys, so that's why we've, er,

yeah, entered... As you can see, everybody else has entered Bramleys,

but we're a bit different and entered Howgates.

Usually you don't really have many of them on the branches, cos it

can't really hold them, and...

Just amazing to have this, apples this big.

-And it's one of the easiest classes to enter. Isn't it?

-Yeah.

-LAUGHTER

You only need five, and you need giant ones.

Do they judge on the quality of the fruit?

No, it's just purely on the weight.

There's no quality criteria, it's just who's got the heaviest apples.

It's a great talking point with the public when they come in.

With all entries now in,

there's still last-minute touches to make sure everything is up to Jane's

high standards.

On to Gala now, and we've chosen the red Gala

instead of the stripy Gala.

It was half a dozen of one and six of the other, which one to go with,

but I think these are looking quite nice, don't you?

-They're looking very shiny, yeah.

-Very nice and shiny and red.

But who knows, the judge might prefer stripy Gala.

I have to say, I think ours are looking the best.

Absolute relief to drop them off. Yes, that's it, my work is done.

Yes, I can do no more.

-Fingers crossed, yeah. And we'll see what happens, eh?

-Yeah.

Arriving bang-on the 4:45pm deadline,

Simon and Elaine will have to rush to get their submissions in.

-I'll take those, then.

-You're going to take the Bramleys?

-Yeah.

As long as they're set up in time, Simon and Elaine will be entering

seven varieties into the competition.

They need to do well, but already they're worried.

-They look nice, don't they?

-We're struggling. The competition, they look very good.

For heaviest apples, they've brought their Bramleys,

but Jane's five do look bigger.

-These are Howgates.

-Yeah, Harrogate Wonder.

-Yeah.

But they're not as dense, are they, as a Bramley, so you need them

-large.

-Yes.

-They're not as...

-Yeah, yeah.

..firm. Doesn't matter how they look like, or condition or anything.

It's purely done on weight.

Commercial fruit judging is so rigorous

because it's about supermarkets' demands, so each presentation box

must have three spares to cut into.

-Have you got your extra Gala?

-No, cos you've got the Gala.

-No, I haven't.

-Oh. We have a problem.

-Did you not bring the three extra Gala?

-No.

Not having the three extra might mean that we get disqualified,

unfortunately.

But that's the rules, you have to play by them.

I am pleased with them.

-I just wish I had a full box, the full contingent here!

-LAUGHTER

-All right, all right.

-We know who to blame!

But it's still the Bramleys that are most important to Simon,

and the spares are there.

-I like the look of ours.

-Ours are green enough, yeah.

-Yeah.

-There's too much red on these two.

-Yeah.

-Actually, we're probably in with a shout with this.

-Do you think?

-Yeah.

-I don't...

He's already got a place in mind for the "first prize" card.

I know where the certificate's going, they're going up on the vending machine, so they can say,

when they buy our fruit, they're buying prize-winners.

I think if we could get a prize with the Bramleys, that would mean a lot.

With entries in place, everyone heads back to their farms.

Tomorrow, they will return en masse to set up their stalls and to sell

their fruit.

A win tonight will translate into bigger sales.

Today's judge is apple expert Mike Stoker.

You get a feel when you look at the tray straight off,

you see someone's put a lot of effort into that.

As it is a commercial competition, I'm looking for uniformity of size,

internal quality of fruit,

and any pest or disease damage.

It's a blind judging.

All entrants are given a number...

-Lovely sample.

-..and that is all that Mike is allowed to see.

You've got to have an eye for it.

Cos I've come from a fruit-growing background,

you have an eye for detail, if you like, so you're able to pick

up things that maybe the general public might not see.

Competition is fierce.

A good result will have an impact on our farmers' sales tomorrow.

If I award a place to any one of the growers here today,

then surely it's going to help their business.

If they are a farm shop, then they can use that to promote their fruit.

Mike has reached entry number three.

That's Jane and Charlie.

He's starting with their Bramleys...

-Nice.

-..and already he may have spotted something.

Because they're very close-stalked, short-stalked,

it makes a very cosy little environment for...

..earwigs. And they do make a bit of a mess.

No earwigs to be seen, so it's on to their Galas.

Someone's spent quite a bit of time with a duster on it,

having a good old buff.

Now it's Simon and Elaine's turn.

Last entrant, number seven - lucky for some.

Straight inside.

Oh, very nice.

He's also impressed with their Galas.

The presentation is exceptional, isn't it? It really is very good.

Look at that. Fantastic.

I'm not supposed to do that as a judge, I just couldn't resist.

What a shame Elaine forgot the spares!

To judge all ten classes will take him late into the night.

It's a nice way to spend an evening, to be honest, if you like,

if that's your...

I don't mind doing it.

It's the morning of the Malvern Autumn Show,

and the exhibitors and competitors have begun to arrive.

Our farmers only have one thing on their mind -

how did they fare in the judging?

First in are Simon and Elaine.

-Which are we going for first?

-The heaviest, I suppose.

-The heaviest.

-It's first-come, first-served.

-OK.

-Ooh!

-Ha-ha!

-Ooh!

-We got first!

-Yes!

Hey, we got a first! Oh, that's made my day now.

-It's by quite a bit as well. Oh, no...

-Doesn't matter what happens

-now. I've got one red! Hey!

-LAUGHTER

-Oh, brilliant.

-By 1.5 ounces.

-By 1.5 ounces?

-Yeah.

-Oh, wow!

And now, on to the Galas.

-Oh, we did get a fourth. That's all right, we got a four.

-Oh, we got...

-Fourth out of four.

-OK, fourth out of fourth, yeah, I'll do that.

We got a card, I like that.

Anything to pin on the wall and the vending machine will be good.

We can show them what we've got.

-Yeah. Right, Bramleys.

-Bramleys.

-Oh, we got second!

-Oh, no.

-I'm OK with second.

Oh, OK. I'm not. I wanted to win the Bramley.

Oh! Look at that.

-We've come second by half a point.

-I know. Second's good!

-No, it's not.

-I know it's not a red, but second's good, and it's only

-half a point in it.

-I don't mind the rest of that,

this is the one I wanted to be first with.

We've lost a point on the colour, skin quality and finish.

-So there's a few of ours that have got a little bit...

-Yeah, just a bit too much...

-..blushing.

-Some blush going on there.

-Yeah.

-Oh, well.

-Second. Second's OK.

-Well, there's nothing we can do about it.

-We've got a first with the heavy ones.

-We've got a first, yeah.

-First, and second with the Bramleys.

-We'll tell everybody we came first in the Bramleys, that's all you need to tell them!

-OK.

LAUGHTER

Next, it's Jane and Joe's turn to find out how they've done.

What have we got, then? Where's ours?

-It's...Gala. Oh...

-Wow!

-We got first!

-We've got first!

Well done. That's the one that I really wanted a first in.

-That's really good.

-Well done.

-Isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Fantastic.

-Yeah, I'm quite proud, actually.

-Proud of Mum?

-Yeah.

-LAUGHTER

We have got...

-With Comice....

-Oh, we've got a third.

Got a third for the Comice.

Now, I didn't think we'd get that.

Very happy for a third.

-Oh, look! Oh, wow! Look!

-Concorde, first.

Concorde, we've got a first for. That's excellent, well done.

-They do look nice, don't they?

-Yeah.

-Two firsts and a third so far!

SHE GASPS

Look! First, first for the Conference as well.

-I didn't think we stood a chance with this.

-We've only dropped...

-It's fantastic.

-How many points have we dropped?

-Er...

-Two and a half marks.

Blimey! Ooh, look!

-Hold on, wait.

-We've got a second.

-Second, that's really good.

It is very good, isn't it, considering I didn't think

-those Howgates were as heavy as the Bramleys.

-No.

We've got a third!

That's not bad, is it? It's not bad at all.

-So, how many, how many firsts, then?

-That's four.

-Four?

-Four firsts.

-Four firsts.

-I think that's the most firsts we've ever had. Dad will be proud, won't he?

Yeah.

It's a wonderful result for Jane,

but her winning streak does not end here.

-I have some good news for you.

-Do you?

-Yes, you've won the Silver

-Salver for the most points in the show, so well done.

-Fantastic!

-That's fantastic! Thank you very much.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

Thank you. No, that's great. Absolutely fantastic.

Go and collect your prize from the office when you're ready.

-Oh, well done, thank you.

-LAUGHTER

With judging over, across the showground,

everyone is getting ready for opening time.

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Our farmers have no time to lose.

Already they've had an eventful morning,

but the real work starts now.

Soon, thousands of potential customers will be pouring in,

so they're setting up stalls right opposite their prize-winning apples.

I would like to think they'll say, "Ooh, that variety has got an award,

"let's go and try it," because it's not a well-known...

Um, everyone knows about Gala -

it's the biggest-selling apple in the country now,

and everyone knows the Bramley.

Everything else in between they're not au fait with, and hopefully,

if they can see the name varieties, Herefordshire russet with a place,

they will then come and enquire and see what it is.

It's going to be a busy day for everyone,

but Simon won't be working the stall.

Oh, I'm not the best people person in the world,

somebody else needs to be doing it.

-It helps if you're not here for the selling part!

-Yes.

-LAUGHTER

So, yes, when the public start, I always slip away.

And that suits Elaine just fine.

-The stall's my thing.

-The stall is definitely her department.

Simon faffs around, and then when he goes, I change it back to how I want

it, generally, is how it works.

-Keep him happy until he goes.

-Yes.

I like to think I'm in charge of growing the crop and she's in charge

of selling it.

Time for Simon to make himself scarce...

..because here come the people.

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Welcome to the Malvern Autumn Show.

We're bringing together the finest growers and producers from

Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire.

This weekend, event organisers are expecting 65,000 visitors.

People want to compete at the Malvern Autumn Show,

because of the quality of the exhibits THAT we attract here,

and the prestige of winning here.

This will be a celebration of everything the harvest season

brings, and the orchard tent will be at the heart of it.

The Commercial Apple Growers' Competition is a great showcase for

local farmers, local fruit producers,

showing the best of British fruit that's produced.

To lure in the customers, Sally has put out a whole range of tasters.

I'm in charge of handing out the tasters, and, um...

..yeah, convincing people to buy them, or trying to.

-Would you like to try any?

-Yes, please.

While everyone wants a taste, not everyone seems to be buying.

If they don't sell more soon,

both families will be taking a lot of apples and juice home.

On the other side of the showground, things are a little busier.

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The Malvern Autumn Show has a surprise around every turn,

from vintage caravans to giant veg.

And even a bit of crochet.

I think rural skills and old traditional skills will disappear,

and a show like this just focuses on those skills, and it's a really

important thing to do, and it's about connecting back

to the beginning of something.

These poppies are going towards the Cirencester Parish Church display to

mark Remembrance Day.

We're looking for another 1,000, so we're asking members of the

public to come in and make a poppy that can go towards that.

I think the Poppy Appeal touches everybody.

You know, everybody has a relative in the past or knows people in the

current times who are in the Forces,

and it's just really important to remember people

who've given up their lives. So it's a good thing to do.

It's lunchtime already, and finally,

crowds of apple buyers are beginning to swarm into the orchard tent.

It started off a little bit slowly, and then it's really picked up.

I think people don't want to carry the apples around the show,

so it's always busier in the afternoon.

They see us in the morning and then come back later and buy them.

Oh, no wonder you were coming back for that - it weighs a little

-bit, doesn't it?

-Yeah.

-LAUGHTER

Out of all the varieties,

it's the Lord Lambourne apples that are the most popular.

I've sold out of one of the varieties,

so I've got Simon at home, picking them now, ready for tomorrow.

-I haven't quite had lunch yet. It's been...

-SHE LAUGHS

Trying to get there but, um...

no, it's been really good, really happy with it.

Elaine thinks it may have something to do

with their competition success.

Winning the prizes has been good, and being so close to the apples.

People like to have a good look at them and then be able to buy some of

them as well. I've had a few people come and comment how big the

Bramleys are and how nice they are,

so it's good to be able to point that,

"Yeah, we have won a prize, go and have a look."

What you need to make a good apple pie is good apples.

That's why I've bought so many.

We thought we'd try some of the different apples which you don't see

-in the supermarkets.

-Next week's lunches, sorted.

-Well, my dessert anyway - apples!

-LAUGHTER

Meanwhile, Jane and the family have got through dozens of bottles

as free samples.

-That's apple and rhubarb.

-Apple and rhubarb?

-Yeah.

It was pressed yesterday, so it's fresh.

The tasters seem to be going down well at the moment.

Plenty of people are, yeah, having a few.

We've got apple and rhubarb, apple and raspberry,

russet apple juice or Discovery apple juice.

With so many flavours to try, there's something for everyone.

I tried the apple and rhubarb, because I like things that are more

sharp, not so much sugar.

The free taster strategy is beginning to pay off...

-Thank you.

-..which has led to a new problem.

We're struggling with russet apple juice at the moment.

We haven't quite got enough, I don't think, to last the whole day.

It's been a very good seller, hasn't it?

I don't know whether it's related to the fact we've won first prize for

the russets. Who knows?

The juice is doing so well,

they need to get more of it sent from the farm.

Hi, Dad. Yeah, we need some russet juice, ASAP, please.

Whilst Jane waits for the cavalry to arrive, Elaine is taking full

advantage of a lull to see what else the show has to offer.

She's found her favourite pedigree, the Ryeland sheep.

Hey! Hello!

I've got some of these at home.

I've got 20 ewes of the white variety, and ten of the coloureds.

I do want to buy some more coloureds, so I'm having a quick,

like, shopping expedition as well, as Simon's not here to supervise me.

Oh, you're pretty.

I may have bought one or two sheep before now,

and had them delivered to the farm without Simon knowing straightaway.

But once they're there, they're there, aren't they,

-so we can't really get rid of them!

-SHE LAUGHS

He can't tell them apart anyway, so it's fine, it's fine.

He doesn't know.

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Simon's also off for a little wander, and there are no surprises

about where he's heading.

I'm going to have a look at this hop stuff in here.

Ooh, look at these hops!

Evina seems to be more interested in something else.

Oh, Daddy, I want to go on the funfair!

-Funfair!

-We're going to go on the funfair in a minute, OK?

-O-o-o-oh!

-No, come on, we're going to have a look at these hops.

Ah, look.

I want go on the funfair!

Back on Jane's stall, things are a little quieter,

as they've run out of their biggest-selling juice.

But Charlie's arrived to save the day.

-Excuse me. One for you, Sal.

-OK, well done.

-Bringing more.

-Russet juice? Excellent.

More russet. Rolling russet. There you are, Sal.

-Thank you, dear.

-Well done.

-How are you?

-How we getting on today?

-Good. Good, good, good.

-It's been quite good, actually.

-Yeah? How did the apples do?

Do you want go round and have a look?

-I'll go and have a look in a sec.

-Go and have a look.

Charlie's been busy on the farm all day and hasn't seen their

competition results.

Eee!

Lovely! First, that's good.

That's gone really well, hasn't it? She has worked hard.

Would you like a taste, madam?

Buoyed by their success, Charlie's thrown himself into selling mode,

while the others take a break after a long day.

You OK, my dear? You have a taste, have a taste of any you want.

I will do.

I can show you the winning russets, the Bramleys and the winning pears,

we've got them all here today.

-Very nice, thank you.

-Jolly good, well done.

-Thank you.

No luck yet, but he's not about to give up.

Meanwhile, Jane is engaged in a different kind of selling -

-the ancient art of barter.

-Hi there.

-Hello, hi.

I was wondering how you felt about swapping a bottle of apple and

raspberry juice for a couple of ice creams?

One bottle of apple and raspberry for two ice creams.

Perfect.

Back in the tent, Charlie has found his stride with the last of today's

-customers.

-Look at that, a brand-new £10 note, here we go.

-Hello!

-Hello!

You all right? Have you had good day?

-More to the point, Mum, have you had a good day?

-Yeah, it's been really busy.

Well, there's some empty boxes, that's a good thing.

The Malvern Autumn Show apple and pear competition is over for another

-year.

-It's been a good family day out, if not a little hectic.

-SHE LAUGHS

For both our farming families,

these awards will bear fruit for their businesses.

It's been a big show, and a long day, hasn't it?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-It's gone really well.

Really tired now, but it has gone really well.

It's been a long, hard day.

But, yes, I think we'll be quietly happy tonight.

Simon and Elaine have walked away with four awards.

We've had to report back to my father, who sat there,

looking for all the figures to analyse,

and no doubt he'll tell us it's not good enough -

-we need more, more, more!

-LAUGHTER

Jane and Charlie have won a staggering seven certificates and a

-piece of silverware to put on their mantelpiece.

-Perfect.

Charlie's quietly chuffed, because he grew the fruit, so, um, yeah.

It's all down to him in the end.

To get that recognition, I feel extremely proud

and extremely pleased.

But the show is not finished for our families just yet.

They have another busy day of selling tomorrow,

-and it's set to be just as busy.

-OK.

-Well done, dear.

-Cheers.

-Good day.