North Wiltshire Escape to the Country

Today I'm in a county whose chalky slopes are home not only to carvings of white horses,

but also these striking military badges. Find out where I am and how they came to be here

in just a moment.

'On today's show, I'm with a city couple who are harbouring farming fantasies

'so need a property with loads of land. It's an uphill struggle as I show them one house.'

-It's not grabbing me.

-Just... Sorry, it's not settling me.

'Later, they seem pleased by the mystery property.'

I've got my wine fridge, he's got his boy's den!

Here I am in Wiltshire and these are the Fovant Badges.

During WWI, the village of Fovant was home to a military camp for allied troops

leaving for the battlefields of Northern France. In remembrance of their comrades who didn't return,

the surviving soldiers carved these huge designs of their military badges in the hillside.

Today eight of them, some over 50 metres across, are preserved

as a powerful reminder of that time.

Known as the gateway to the West Country, landlocked Wiltshire is bordered by six counties,

including Somerset to the west and Berkshire and Hampshire to the east.

It's a beautiful county of great diversity, covering an area of almost 2,200 square miles.

Ancient landmarks range from the unmistakeable site of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain

to Old Sarum, the Iron Age hill fort two miles north of Salisbury, where the city's first cathedral stood.

Between Marlborough and Hungerford, the ancient Savernake Forest has its origins in Norman times.

It's also the place where Henry VIII met his third wife, Jane Seymour,

during a hunting visit to the estate.

Much of north and west Wiltshire lies within the Cotswold area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Villages here include Lacock, with its great abbey and other historic buildings,

which are preserved reminders of how the area's wealth grew from the wool trade in the Middle Ages.

Wiltshire's beautiful countryside can come at a cost.

The average price of a detached property currently stands at just under £292,000.

That's around £35,000 above the national figure.

What's more, around hotspots such as Marlborough and the southern Cotswold villages,

you might expect to pay a premium of up to 20%.

Mind you, if you head south you get more for your money,

but wherever you're looking, Wiltshire is full of different architectural styles

that reflect its rich heritage.

Across the county there are some fine examples of historic whitewashed and thatched properties.

This three-bedroom, Grade 2-listed house on the edge of the village of Lockeridge

was originally three cottages. It dates back to the 18th century

and is priced at £570,000.

Much of the north and west of the county falls within the Cotswolds,

characterised by the region's distinctive honey-coloured limestone.

This four-bedroom stone house in the village of Savernake

is on the market at £350,000.

Towards the east of the county, particularly around Marlborough,

the mellow Cotswold stone gives way to red brick, which was used in Georgian and Victorian properties.

Here, a three-bedroom whitewash brick terraced cottage will cost you £295,000.

But what are today's buyers after? Let's meet them and find out.

Married couple Will, an oil broker, and Mel, an estate agent office manager,

have been living in their four-bedroom house in Fulham for eight years,

but are already part-time country dwellers, spending every weekend with family and friends there.

I was born in Wales.

I wanted to come out of London within 5 years of moving here.

20 years on, I'm still here, so I think it's now time to move.

We commute to Wales or Staffordshire every Friday night

and we thought we need to get out so we don't have to do that and we're down in the country.

One thing that excites me is getting slightly nearer to my parents and my sisters.

-And doing your veg.

-And potentially having a veg garden, absolutely.

Living a shorter distance from Mel's family in Staffordshire and Will's family in Wales

needs to be balanced with his need to travel regularly to London for work.

So they've decided Wiltshire would be the best fit.

We're looking at what I call the M4 corridor. It's for me for commuting.

I want to look at Didcot, Swindon, if you go south down towards Pewsey.

Anywhere which is basically an hour to an hour and a half to Paddington.

As Will plans to travel back to London during the week and live his rural dream at the weekends,

it's important for Mel that their home is close to a community.

My concerns about moving out to the country are probably... based on isolation,

just worrying about not necessarily knowing anybody around there.

-I'd love to be a part of a community. It's quite important.

-I think you have to be.

-I'm not saying you should be in the Women's Institute!

-I wouldn't be.

While the WI might not be Mel's thing, she's got plenty of other ideas to integrate with the locals

and breathing the fresh country air.

In terms of spare time, many years ago I used to play golf, so that's something I'd like to get back into.

I also, much to my husband's annoyance, love reading,

have been known to get on the back of a horse, so I would certainly consider doing that again.

Tennis - so, yes, I'm open to many options, really.

So it's sport or a book club for Mel, but frustrated farmer Will has other ideas

-about where to meet his new neighbours.

-I'd like to be within walking distance of a village pub.

That could be 10, 15 minutes. How long it takes me to get back is another story!

With their house currently on the market, they have a clear idea of how much they have to spend.

The maximum budget is £900,000.

Will and Mel's preferred location would give them good access to the M4 corridor

so Will can travel into London for work. We all met up in the county to discuss the finer details

of their move to the country.

-So, Will and Mel, ready to give up life in London and move here to Wiltshire.

-I hope so.

So what are we looking for ideally with this property? Remind us.

Outside space, certainly an acre, probably two, would be really good.

Three/four bedrooms.

-You wanted a decent-sized kitchen.

-Absolutely. At the moment, we're a bit top heavy.

We've got four bedrooms, but lacking entertaining space, so more reception area would be good.

I'm intrigued about this land. What are you going to do with it?

-I think this could be Will's dream.

-Well, OK.

Maybe a little bit of hobby farming.

I think you've got to be open to any kind of idea that you could get involved with the local community.

So we've selected three houses. I say houses and not farms, note.

One, of course, is our mystery property, which is going to be something a little bit different.

-Shall we get going?

-Absolutely.

For their generous budget of £900,000, Will and Mel want to live the rural dream

in a large, characterful house with loads of reception areas,

a large kitchen, a study for Will,

four bedrooms and a couple of acres of land, so they can keep some livestock.

We found three fantastic properties to tempt them with and at each one

I'll be asking them to guess the price before I reveal it.

The last will be our mystery house, which could really bring out the party animals in them,

but first is house number one.

You're both very strong characters. It will be interesting to see if you agree when looking at property.

There will be a lot of stuff where I disagree. It's a compromise.

-Isn't that what marriage is about?

-For Mel? I think we're going to have fun, I really do.

-We'll try not to bicker too much.

-Two women against me!

We've made the journey to the north Wiltshire village of Purton, six miles north-west of Swindon,

with good train links into London. The community offers a range of everyday amenities

and includes a Grade 1-listed church, library and Post Office,

and a choice of pubs for Will to share a pint with the locals.

In the heart of the village lies this Grade 2-listed Georgian property.

Through the gate, down the garden path to our very first property here in Wiltshire.

It's a good solid-looking house.

Very pretty, isn't it?

-It's a very good-looking house for a village house.

-It stands alone. Quite imposing, I think.

-Handsome.

-Shall we go in the house?

-Yeah.

'We've got a very good first reaction to the stature of this period house

'and I'm sure they'll find the interior equally special.'

-So come straight through. Pretty impressive entrance.

-Yeah.

This house is Grade 2-listed, but it's been renovated first of all around the 19th century.

Then the current owners have done a lot of work to it.

I like the stairways as well.

We'll start with the drawing room.

-Certainly a very light room today.

-Yeah.

-Good square room.

-I like that you can see all the way down the garden

-and you have a great view into the walled garden.

-With floor to ceiling windows.

-And a very impressive fireplace.

-It is.

-Not working, mind you.

-You can open it up.

-Fine.

-Next door has the same size room and a working fire.

-Perfect.

Right. Well, we will continue.

'Quite a muted response to this reception area, but now we pass the dining room,

'a space that Will and Mel, who love to entertain, might use on many an occasion.'

-So the dining room leads through to this kitchen.

-Right.

-Love this.

If I had to be slightly negative, a little bit small.

-Right.

-And the dining room. Whether you could knock this into one...

-I'm not sure.

-Grade 2-listed.

Anything like that, you'd need to look at and get permission for, but there is scope.

The kitchen as it is is quite a modern kitchen.

-As kitchens go, to the average person this is pretty big.

-Oh, it's...

-Agreed.

-You've also got a large larder.

-We like larders.

-Shall we head upstairs?

-Love to.

After you.

'Will might not be sure about the size of the kitchen as it stands,

'but as we head upstairs, there's a great deal of space on the first floor, which has three bedrooms

'as well as a study area. We'll take a look at the master.'

-So again another really light...

-Yeah, really light room.

-Amazing views that way.

-Lovely.

With this room, you do have the space, relatively high ceilings.

Again floor to ceiling windows.

It's got its en suite next door, which is a really good size,

but this is one of five bedrooms.

-Five?

-Five. Now because the house was extended 100, 200 years ago,

-it does have a lot of character.

-Corridors and things. That's fine.

You've also got an additional two bedrooms upstairs to make the five. They're actually in the eaves.

You've got an en suite, a family bathroom, shower room and toilet upstairs. Plenty of facilities.

-Do you like it?

-Yes. I think it's a good size.

-Good. Sun's still shining. Let's head back outside.

-A little bit more to show you. We've also got to talk price.

-Oh, yes.

'This is a property that just keeps on giving and for entertaining there's a wine cellar, too.

'In addition to the main house, there's a one-bedroom cottage

'which comes with its own modern kitchen and good-size bathroom

'as well as a stunning living room with exposed beams.

'And there are a total of four garages out here, but it's the garden that holds real appeal.'

Now just look at this.

I think this is absolutely fabulous.

-The back of the garden is so impressive.

-Yeah.

Really lovely. So total plot is an acre and a half,

but that includes the buildings. You can see the boundary wall.

-It's the dry stone wall at the end.

-There's a lot of gardening to do!

If that idea about being a farmer, fantasy farmer, really appeals

and you do think you have the time, you could talk to your local farmer about the possibility

of renting that land.

-Something else to add into the mix.

-Definitely.

Shall we get straight to the money?

-Why not?

-How much is it on the market for, Mel?

-850.

-OK.

-£850,000.

OK.

Oh, let's say 810.

-810 and 8...

-50. I'll have got this so wrong!

The asking price for this property, you're both out, but, Mel, you are the closest.

£895,000.

-So just in budget.

-Why don't you have another look around?

-Yeah.

-Think about that price and what you get for this house. I'll catch up with you later.

-See you later.

-Bye.

-Thank you.

Under budget at £895,000, this substantial Georgian house in the heart of the village

is well located for Will's commute and offers a large kitchen,

three reception rooms, five bedrooms with another in a separate cottage,

all set on a well-maintained plot of 1½ acres.

My initial impression was yes, very good. Good-sized bedrooms and a good number of bedrooms,

with bathrooms as well. The location is perhaps not what we originally anticipated we'd look for,

but is certainly due consideration.

Great entrance, loved the reception rooms. My problem is

probably with the dining room/kitchen.

Being Grade 2-listed, could you actually knock the walls down?

The jury's out. Let's see the next house and where we go from there.

-OK. Happy? Have you seen enough?

-I think so, yeah.

-Very interesting. Good start.

-Excellent. And that's only the first house.

-That's very true.

-A very good start.

-Good. Come on, then.

Many of Wiltshire's historic towns and villages date to Saxon times

and have prospered thanks to its position on main trade routes to the west from London.

The market town of Chippenham was once the site of a Saxon royal forest. Its advantageous location

on the River Avon gave its mills a ready-made source of water power

when the wool industry was at its peak in the 15th century.

Given the area's wool heritage and our buyers' farming ambitions,

we've arranged for them to meet Jane Calloway, the owner of a 150-acre organic farm,

home to her striking, multi-horned rare breed sheep.

Jane, any tips for anyone considering doing this, a smallholding?

It depends whether you are actually considering a smallholding or how big you consider that to be,

or whether you want to go farming. I've got Manx Loaghtan, which is a primitive, rare breed.

If you're starting up not knowing anything about sheep or lambing,

then a rare breed is quite a good place to start in that they're hardy, they're healthy

and if you have a pedigree flock, in that you're not crossing two breeds,

then the lambs will be the right size for the ewes, so you will have much easier lambing.

Before Jane started to farm her sheep as a novice in the mid-1990s,

she researched rare breeds, particularly those at risk.

She also attended a multitude of courses on farming subjects, from lamb feeding to butchery,

a good tip for Will and Mel who get a closer look at the flock.

You can see that they've got these lovely chocolate faces and coffee fleeces

and predominantly two-horned ewes.

-How many sheep do you use to an acre?

-It'll say in all the books four to an acre,

but that doesn't allow for clean grazing and for making hay.

So I would say two to an acre.

The best way to maintain sound sheep is to split your acreage

so that you graze them over one half and you take hay or clean it somehow with other livestock

on the other half and then you rotate it round.

The Manx Loaghtan are lovely sheep.

They're not the easiest of sheep in that they jump like stags

so you've got to have wonderful fencing and you've got to keep a lot of good grass ahead of them

or they'll jump out and find it elsewhere!

As well as the award-winning quality of its meat, one of the main attractions of the Manx Loaghtan

is its highly-prized fleece. This rich variation from a deep chocolate to a milky coffee colour

that makes the fleece popular for everything from rugs to jumpers.

You can see here these are some by-products from the flock.

My feeling is that you have to use everything from the sheep out of respect for the animal.

The wool goes to the wool board or to organic spinners

and we produce these beautiful sheepskins. A lot of skins come in from overseas,

from all over the world, and there are very few UK sheepskins that are produced in this country.

It's the pleasure of having things made from your own wool.

Will and Mel have been given a real insight into the work involved in looking after livestock,

but now it's time to continue their property search.

We've hopped over the border into west Berkshire

and close to the village of Lambourn in the area of chalk downland known as the Lambourn Downs.

Along with the everyday amenities such as a large local store, there's a Norman church and traditional pub.

There's also a renowned centre for National Hunt racehorse training, so there are a number of saddlers.

Our second house is two miles away on the edge of the village of Eastbury.

Built at the turn of the 20th century, it's in a fabulous location surrounded by idyllic countryside.

And here is house number two. Very different from the first property.

-So, Will, come on. What are you thinking?

-I'm undecided. I can't see the front and can't see the back,

-so it's very difficult to judge.

-Open-minded?

-Completely.

-For the time being.

-We'll start.

-Perfect.

'Despite Will's initial doubts, I do hope that he and Mel give this house a fair viewing

'as it has a great deal to offer in terms of space for entertaining.'

With this property, when you come through the front door, you've got two reception rooms either side.

One's being used as a bedroom. This is a good-sized dining room.

-Certainly bigger than the last one.

-It's more like a proper dining room as well.

-Yes.

And this house has plenty of entertaining spaces. Follow me through here.

-So, as you can probably see, you've actually got six reception rooms downstairs.

-Six?

Six. So you've got a fantastic sun room next door and a purpose-built study there,

then you've got the kitchen through there.

-Would that be convenient for you?

-Absolutely.

-It's a definite positive.

-What about the house so far?

-You've only seen half of downstairs.

-I'm not convinced still.

-Not quite hitting the mark.

-No.

-I need to see the rest of the house before I make a judgment.

-Good point. Let's continue.

'In spite of the raft of reception areas at the front of the property, they still need persuading,

'so let's see if the kitchen at the back of the house meets with their approval.'

So you've got a utility room and a downstairs cloakroom next door to your very long kitchen.

-Only recently been re-fitted.

-Quite long and skinny.

Carry on, I'd say. Sorry. It's still not settling me.

Come and have a look. All the units have been replaced. You've got granite work surfaces.

You've got another utility room and it leads on to a splendid conservatory

which is being used as a dining room.

-That is lovely.

-Much lighter.

-Still the jury's out?

Yeah. It hasn't jumped out at me.

It sounds like the house hasn't quite won you over yet. Let's see what you think about the upstairs.

'This house still has some impressing to do.

'Upstairs, there are four bedrooms - two good-sized doubles with cast-iron fireplaces,

'which is also a feature in the single room,

'and they all share a charming family bathroom with free-standing bath.

'But I'm going to show them where they could be sleeping.'

So this is your master.

Lighter.

It's not grabbing me if I'm honest.

If you look at this as a master bedroom and it's got a good-sized en-suite,

that's your view every day.

-That is an amazing view.

-It's a great view. There's potential here, but it needs some love.

It has great living accommodation. It might not be right for you, but there's plenty of scope there.

-Let's head outside. I know the land is really important. See what you think of that.

-Perfect.

'It would seem that the land is our last chance to win them round to this property.

'I don't think they can ask for more than what's on offer here.

'There's a huge lawn, as well as a few extras for our frustrated farmer.'

You wanted acres. You've got two-and-a-half acres here.

You've got three paddocks, the stable block,

which can take three horses, plus a tack room.

If we decided to start riding, you could have one paddock for a horse,

and if you want to put a few sheep or chickens, so be it.

You've got a bit more scope.

Right, OK. Let's talk money then, see if that surprises you or not.

How much do you think this house with the two-and-a-half acres is on the market for?

I'm going to go...850.

-OK then, what about you, Mel?

-795.

-OK.

-Role reversal.

-Let's see, eh?

The asking price is...£850,000.

-There's your premium.

-So you were actually spot-on.

-So take another look, check out the grounds and we'll talk in a little while.

-Perfect.

-Right. Thank you.

Well within their budget at £850,000,

this turn-of-the-century property has everything Will and Mel asked for.

Good house. The problem is the number of smaller reception rooms,

rather than having perhaps one large reception room.

In terms of internal entertaining space, it wouldn't work for Will and I.

The land is a positive point.

Two-and-a-half acres, a stable.

It's got everything on the particulars, but once you walk in,

it's missing something and I can't put my finger on it.

-OK, guys?

-Yes, thanks.

-Yes, thanks.

-Seen enough?

-I think so.

-Shall we hit the road now?

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-Thank you.

'As the sun sets over the Wiltshire countryside,

'it marks the end of the first day of our property search.

'Armed with a substantial £900,000 budget,

'Will and Mel are looking for an escape from their urban life in London

'to a country pile with farming potential in Wiltshire.

'So far, our property search has struggled to please them with the perfect match of house and land,

'but coming up, our mystery house delivers against all the odds.'

I'm pleasantly surprised.

'And I join an expert truffle hunter on the trail of the finest fungus.'

Will and Mel are desperate to leave the capital

and with £900,000 burning a hole in their pocket, want to find a new home here in Wiltshire.

Yesterday, we showed them two charming properties, neither of which seemed to hit the mark.

And what has become apparent is they're after an impressive country pad,

but within a farm-like environment with outbuildings and acres and acres of land,

a combination that is really hard to find, even on their budget.

So, today, we're changing tack with the mystery house.

We're concentrating on their social lives because this home is all about entertaining.

'Our mystery house lies just four miles south of Swindon in the large village of Wroughton.

'It's extremely convenient for Will to catch the train into London,

'but it's also surrounded by beautiful countryside.

'Wroughton has a village hall and a couple of pubs.

'It's all within walking distance of our mystery house

'which challenges Will to ditch his farming aspirations and focus on socialising.

'This sympathetically modernised property isn't the Georgian mansion with land that they've asked for,

'but it's got hidden selling points in its favour.'

So here is your third and final property, the mystery house.

I'm not quite sure what I'm going to say to this yet, but one thing I kno before we even walk in there,

because it's relatively new, it will probably be a great layout.

Built in 1960, but I don't think you would recognise the original house, that's the honest truth,

because in 2007, the owner completely gutted it,

renovated it, extended it, has done so much work

that when it comes to entertaining, well, let's step inside.

The proof is in the pudding.

'I think Will and Mel still need some convincing.

'Hopefully, it won't take long once they step through the front door into this immaculate house.'

-Let's start off with what I think is a pretty impressive hallway.

-I wouldn't disagree.

-It's light.

-Is this what you expected from outside?

-I wasn't sure what I was going to see inside.

Anything could have happened in here You'll hate me for saying this, but you'll hate the stairs.

-I love the way you start off so positively(!)

-No, no, no.

-Kitchen. No, no. Kitchen, kitchen.

You can't knock this as a kitchen.

-No, it's lovely.

-It is really impressive.

You've got walnut units, Corian work surfaces, including the breakfast bar there,

hand-made, all designed specially for this house.

I also noticed, as we walked in, all the remote controls on the walls

Judging by the speakers, it's obviously got all the mod cons.

All controlled by a panel behind me, but the whole idea with this property is you love entertaining,

you're really social and this house, hopefully, will really deliver on that front.

-Come on, show us round the corner.

-Come on then.

Imagine with all your friends sitting here, a bottle of wine, very social...

-I think it's amazing.

-I just think probably the kitchen is half the price of the house!

-Impressed?

-Overly impressed with the kitchen, to be honest with you.

You've got all of this space here, then through those doors is...

At the moment, it's a sitting room, but it can be a cinema room.

-I'm thinking "boy den".

-I'm thinking Saturday afternoon, no disturbance.

-The football or cricket or rugby.

-Rugby!

-I knew he was going to say that.

-Perfect - shut yourself away.

-You like that?

-Absolutely. I've got my wine fridge, he's got his boy's den.

The thought of getting rid of him! Oh, dear, dear...

There's a spiral staircase just to the left that goes up.

Up there you have a bedroom and a bathroom, an en-suite really,

but if you wanted your guests to use that facility, they can.

-Everything's been thought of.

-Yes. The price will be interesting.

-He looks disappointed because he can't find anything to criticise. Shall we continue?

-Sure.

'I'm very glad that we've managed to meet Will's very exacting standards with this property.

'On this floor, there's even more for he and Mel to love, including a utility room just off the kitchen,

'as well as a generous study,

'and to the other side of the hall are two more fantastic entertaining areas,

'a sitting room which flows on to a sun room with views of the garden.

'We're going to take a look upstairs which is equally spacious.'

So here we have the master bedroom and it is en-suite.

So, upstairs, this part of the property, you've got four double bedrooms, including this one,

two of which are en-suite, with a family bathroom. What about the upstairs of the property?

-You've got five bedrooms, more than you asked for.

-The more, the merrier.

-I'm loving the balcony outside here too.

-Yeah.

I'm kind of pleasantly surprised, I think.

'Our mystery house has certainly done its job so far,

'but outside is where Will and Mel may have to compromise if they really love this house.

'While it has a very large lawn with decking,

'the nearest place for them to rent some land for a smallholding would be a couple of miles up the road.'

So, you've got a really mature garden here. I think this garden is absolutely fantastic.

I'm guessing for the two of you with the dogs, probably enough grounds here to keep you busy.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So we're going to talk money now.

-Is it difficult to gauge?

-Yes.

-Yes.

I'm going to say 995.

OK. What about you, Will?

I'm going to go 940.

-OK. So you both think it's over your budget?

-Yeah.

Well, your top budget is £900,000.

The good news is you'd get £5,000 change.

The asking price is £895,000.

-It's a lot of house, isn't it?

-It's a lot of house.

It's definitely worthwhile thinking about.

The word "compromise", I think, probably comes into the equation.

Oh!

-That's shocked you, hasn't it?

-It has. That's normally my line. I like that, Will.

Go and have another look around. Think about the location. Check out the grounds.

Take as long as you like. I'll catch up with you in a minute.

Well, the mystery house may have pulled it out of the bag once again.

Under budget at £895,000,

our mystery proposition has made them completely re-evaluate the lifestyle

they want their country home to give them.

This modern party pad provides huge, flowing reception areas in which all their friends can congregate.

The mystery house put us both in a quandary because it's the opposite of what we thought we might like.

It offers a fantastic entertaining space which is what we were essentially looking for

and it's got a great balance of bedrooms and reception rooms.

It's something I actually love in an extraordinary sense. Having wante to move out to the country,

you've got a little bit of the London lifestyle still here

in the country, so you get the best of both worlds. It's going to be a difficult choice.

Look at your faces! That was certainly a different tour from yesterday, wasn't it?

Yes. Where do we start? I think we'll have a bit more time to think about this.

OK. Take yourself somewhere quiet, gather your thoughts, have a chat, then tell me what you think.

OK, come on.

'Wiltshire's beautiful and varied countryside is characterised

'by acres of ancient woodland and rolling chalk hills.

'It's famed for the largest number of chalk hill carvings in the UK with eight white horses to see,

'the oldest and highest being on Westbury Hill.

'It's this chalky landscape and the alkaline content of the soil

'that makes the county the perfect breeding ground for a much sought-after delicacy,

'normally associated with France and Italy - the truffle.

'I've come to a secret woodland location to meet chef and expert truffle-hunter Roger Jones

'to find out more about how to track down this highly prized fungus.'

Roger, what exactly is a truffle?

It's a fungi, a type of mushroom in a sense, but it's not a mushroom.

It grows under the ground, as oppose to a mushroom which grows on top.

The truffles we find, which are the most common in France and in England are the summer truffles.

They're charcoal-greyish throughout and they've got a lovely hazelnutty taste.

When you cook with it, you get a lovely aroma.

This part of the world in Wiltshire, can you harvest a big crop here?

Substantial. 20 or 30 kilos a week.

-Roger, is there a chance that we might be able to find a truffle for me today?

-I hope so.

OK, let's get started. Let's hope we strike some black gold.

'Records show that truffle hunting has been practised in the UK for the past two centuries.

'A royal warrant was held by a family business in Wiltshire up until the 1930s.

'It was run by a man called Alfred Collins

'who used dogs to sniff out truffles in the woods near Winterslow.'

What we're looking for... If you loo at that tree over there, that slight moss effect around the base,

that could have truffles on it.

What am I looking for exactly? How am I going to know there's a truffle underneath?

It's basically feeling for golf balls. Once we find one,

you do a circle from the tree and we'll find lots of them, hopefully.

-Are they hard or soft?

-Hard. Rock-solid. What you don't want to do is dig.

-If you look where I've just been, there's nothing touched at all.

-So don't disturb, just feel.

'Truffle season is at its peak in October and November.

'They're at their best within two to three days of being unearthed.

'These summer truffles cost around £100 a kilo,

'though other rarer varieties can fetch thousands.'

-Is that one?

-I think that would be a truffle.

And that was really close to the surface!

What's happened here, this one was there, so we'll find another one in between these two.

If you put that back where it was, we just need to line up...

Here we are. So you will find them in this area..

-Sometimes they're buried and sometimes they're on the surface?

-Absolutely.

There's another one here.

-So again it's in that same circle.

-You are so good at this.

-Is that one?

-There you are.

-That was literally like that.

I mean, that really is remarkable, how many we've found in a few hours.

-We've done very well with the truffle hunting.

-Shall we cook with them?

-Yeah.

-Excellent.

I can't wait to have a taste.

'These summer truffles are used to flavour a variety of dishes, including risottos and soups.

'They are best served raw or slightly warmed.

'I'm going to taste some grated on a piece of turbot.'

-What you will need is just a tiny bi of sea salt.

-Yeah.

-Welsh, of course.

And a bit of extra-virgin olive oil just to give it a bit more texture.

Delicious.

So here we have it with the turbot.

Hmm! Hmm!

It's difficult to explain the taste.

-That really brings out the fish.

-Yeah.

I can now say I've hunted and tasted pure Wiltshire truffles.

And guess what? They were absolutely delicious.

But it's time to find out if any of our three properties have hit the spot with Will and Mel.

We've had a wide range of reactions, shall we say, to the three properties that we've shown you.

Let's start with that first house set in beautiful grounds.

Yes, we both loved the symmetry of it

and the fact that the front garden was enclosed and therefore safe.

Great house. Our reservation was the size of the kitchen and the dining room,

but other than that, a lovely house.

I still have a little bit of an issu over the outside space.

Lovely, but just for my liking, not quite there.

So it was a very strong start.

We then moved across into West Berkshire to see our next property.

I didn't get the same reaction with this house, did I, from you?

I don't think it grabbed us as soon as we walked into the driveway.

What about the actual house itself and the layout? That had plenty of reception rooms.

But they were all quite small and separate. There was no natural flow through that house.

It was quite dark as well which I couldn't see an instant solution to.

It had the land that we didn't quite achieve with the first property.

Absolutely. It had the two-and-a-hal acres. It just didn't sit well, unfortunately.

Which brings us to the mystery house.

Back into the county of Wiltshire and something completely different.

-You certainly threw us a curve ball here.

-It's an amazing space.

-Yeah.

-The reception rooms and the gadgets and the kitchen to die for!

In a way, with the mystery, we always set out to show you something different,

perhaps change the way you look at your new life in the country.

-Did we achieve that with that property?

-Oh, yes.

Oh! Have we got close?

There would be compromises that would have to be made,

but it's completely thrown the balls up in the air in terms of what Will and I thought we were looking for

because it's just something that we would never have looked at.

So...yeah, possibly.

So what does this mean then? What is the next step going to be?

I think we'd like to go and see it again.

-Great.

-Just to sort of put it to bed, either yes or no.

-We definitely need to spend more tim there and have a look round.

-Look around the area really.

Even if that isn't the house for you,

hopefully, what we've done is help you focus on what's important.

I think what you've really helped us is... The word is "compromise".

You're never going to get 100 or even 95% of what you want.

It's how much are you prepared to compromise.

-Thank you. It's been really good fun.

-Thank you, Nicki.

-Thank you.

It looks as if Will and Mel will continue with city life for just that little bit longer,

but hopefully, they will go for a second viewing of that fabulous mystery property.

Who knows? Maybe this glorious county will be their new home very soon.

Until next time, bye-bye.

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