Hampshire Escape to the Country

This huge oak tree is thought to be up to 600 years old,

making it the real granddaddy of this forest.

Find out where it is and why it's this particular shape

in just a few moments.

Today we're helping a retired couple find a rural retreat

where they can really crank up their music.

'But it's the heat we're turning up in one property.'

-Oh!

-Now, that is a burner.

-That's a fire.

'And we reveal something that's music to the ears and eyes.'

I wasn't expecting this room, and it's stunning.

I'm in Hampshire, and this is the Knightwood Oak in the New Forest.

Not only is it one of the oldest, it's also one of the thickest,

measuring over 24 feet around its trunk,

and this is due to an ancient tree-management system

known as pollarding, whereby cuts were made in the trunk of the tree

just a few metres above the ground,

which would encourage it to grow more branches,

thus yielding more timber. Now, towards the end of the 1600s,

this method of pollarding was banned here in the New Forest,

as the Navy wanted taller trees to produce long, straight planks

to build ships for Nelson's fleet.

But it's great to see that even today, this beautiful tree survives

as a reminder of this county's rich heritage.

Bordered by five regions,

including the home counties of Berkshire and Surrey

to the north and east, and Wiltshire and Dorset to the west,

Hampshire takes an enviable position on the central southern coast,

with 34 miles of Solent shore.

Blending both coast and countryside,

it's one of the oldest counties in England,

with a recorded history dating back over 1,000 years.

The perfect place to keep connected to both the buzz of the city

and the calm of the West Country,

the majestic Hampshire once made up part of the Saxon kingdom of Wessex,

with King Alfred making the county town of Winchester his royal seat.

This ancient capital is famed for its 11th century castle

which displays the legendary Arthurian Round Table,

and its magnificent cathedral,

the resting place of literary great Jane Austen,

who spent most of her short life in Hampshire.

In her latter years she lived in the pretty village of Chawton,

whose splendid surroundings no doubt helped to inspire

the settings for her works.

Today the village's 400-year-old manor house

is home to a unique library of over 9,000 titles,

to preserve women's writing in English

from as far back as the 17th century.

The average price of a detached house here in Hampshire

is just shy of £345,000.

That's over a third more than the national figure.

Now, this can be put down to two key factors -

proximity to the New Forest and to London,

which makes towns like Brockenhurst, with good rail links to the capital,

highly desirable.

But if you're prepared to scratch off those two key factors

from your shopping list, then property becomes more affordable,

especially around market towns such as Ringwood.

So let's find out where today's buyers are looking to head here in Hampshire.

It's the end of working life

that heralds the beginning of a new country life

for former civil servant Mike and his wife Jill.

They've been married for over three decades,

and have spent the last five years in this 1930s dormer bungalow

in Warlingham, Surrey. But preparations are underway

to turn their backs on the southern-London suburbs.

It's a little bit anonymous.

Everybody sort of keeps to themselves.

Everybody's very busy.

There isn't really much of a sense of community here.

The traffic, if I have to go into Croydon to go shopping,

it takes a long time in the car.

There's just too much bustle,

and I'll be very glad to get away from that.

'And it just feels like the right time now.'

We've got used to being retired, and it's time to go.

So the plan is a rural relocation

equidistant between their closest loved ones.

The reason we chose Hampshire is that Mike's mum lives in Devon,

so we travel up and down to see her quite a lot,

but our son lives in London, and we don't want to be far away from him,

so Hampshire's really a perfect place, right in the middle.

SHE SINGS

And when it comes to the perfect pad,

they're hoping to raise the roof.

We've got a lot of instruments and music,

so we'd like to have a separate music room or a study, something like that.

And we'd like it particularly to be light and bright.

We have played and sung together a bit a long time ago,

and when we move, we'd like to see if we could get more into that,

but we don't really do it now. I still play my bass.

Jill never stops singing. She's always singing to the radio.

In fact I can't even mention the title of a song,

-and you have to sing the whole thing!

-Yes.

'I don't think we make too much noise with our music.'

I suppose if all the windows were open, my bass might carry across.

I'm far more bothered about other people's noise bothering me

than my noise bothering other people!

But when they're not making sweet music,

Jill and Mike have their own separate passions.

I took up golf when I was a teenager,

and got quite good at it,

but then was stopped through working life quite a lot.

-But I've really taken it up with a vengeance again...

-Yes.

..recently. I can still play in single figures,

which I'm determined to hold on to as long as I can.

'I'm not quite a golf widow, but it won't be long!'

-Give it time!

-SHE LAUGHS

'In the last few years I've been trying to grow a lot of vegetables,

'and it's my dream to be self-sufficient in vegetables.'

There's just nothing more thrilling than going out

and picking them fresh and eating them straight away.

They're so healthy, and they taste so much better,

and it's just the most relaxing hobby in the world.

'We've got a huge garden here, but it's actually too big, and I'd like something a bit smaller.'

Their current home is already on the market,

and a budget is set for this new Hampshire venture.

The maximum we'll look up to for this move is £525,000.

Jill and Mike want the best of country and coast,

so a house search will focus on the county's southern portion

and the pretty villages surrounding the small town of Bishop's Waltham.

So, with the area sorted,

I'm meeting up with our buyers on Hampshire soil

to clarify the details of their move.

Well, it's always nice to start in beautiful surroundings,

-so welcome to a beautiful and sunny Hampshire.

-Gorgeous.

Tell me, why have you decided to look for a house here?

It's got everything we want. It's got the coast,

it's got the countryside...

Of everywhere we've looked at, this is where we feel most comfortable.

And we don't want to be too far from London, cos our son's in London.

What's your shortlist? What are your must-haves?

We like a pretty reasonable-size garden,

cos gardening's very important to me.

-How about you, Mike? What's important to you?

-Golf course.

-Unfortunately I need...

-Tell me it's nearby!

-..reasonable access to one.

-We don't want to live in one.

-Well...

-Nearby. How far?

Not too far. If I can get there within 15, 20 minutes,

-that'll be good.

-What about the house itself?

I know you want a music room. How many bedrooms?

Very flexible, really, because we'd be willing to change rooms around

and use them for what we... Minimum is, we only need two bedrooms.

I'd love a nice kitchen, but everybody wants a nice kitchen.

-What's a nice kitchen, though, for you?

-Um...

-A five-burner gas hob.

-Yes!

She dreams of a five-burner gas hob.

-Old or new?

-An older property would be fine,

-if it's been modernised inside.

-We've got some properties lined up.

I'm going to really enjoy showing you round these old new houses,

or new old houses. Let's start. This way.

'For their maximum budget of £525,000,

'Mike and Jill are after a low-maintenance, modernised property

'that must be detached. It has to have at least two bedrooms

'and a room they can dedicate to music.'

And let's not forget the two all-important Gs -

that's gardening and golf.

We'll be showing our buyers a selection

of some of the best homes on the market,

but as always, I won't reveal their price tags until they've had a guess.

And our final choice is a mystery house,

which while straying from their stated wish list,

could disprove the adage of "age before beauty".

So, musical instruments.

Are you really planning on making a lot of noise?

-Are you the noisy neighbours?

-Yes.

-Oh, right.

-Essentially, yeah.

-Whenever we're listening to music,

whether it's the radio or we've got a CD on or something,

-we like to hear it.

-Right!

We want to hear all the instruments.

If you can't hear the bass, it's not worth having it on.

So, this music room is a centre of your search.

-Let's face it.

-Couldn't live without music in the house.

-OK.

The first location on our house quest

is situated in the village of Durley,

which lies just a couple of miles from Bishop's Waltham

and the nearest golf course.

Lying in the Meon Valley, the small medieval town of Bishop's Waltham

benefits from a choice range of businesses, shops,

restaurants and boutiques.

And just a five-minute drive away in Durley,

the first house we're viewing is a barn conversion

right in the heart of the village.

Now, then - property number one.

-What do you think, Jill?

-I like the look of it.

It looks like it's quite modern. It looks like it's been...

Like we said, we don't want to have to do things.

-It looks like it's been done.

-It was an old cow barn.

It looks like just what we're looking for,

except the extent to which it looks a little bit squeezed

between the two adjoining houses,

-so the overlooking element might be a no-no for us.

-OK.

-Possibly.

-Well, it's a good point. It's something to bear in mind.

What about the appearance of this house, then?

Just right. The size and the style,

very much us, I think.

Good news! OK. Let's look inside.

Great.

'Originally an agricultural building for a neighbouring farm,

'this property was converted into a family home in 1981.

'So let's see if it's modern enough for Jill and Mike.'

So, let's start with the kitchen.

Ooh! Yes. Very nice. You don't have to walk far. Everything's...

-Yeah, it's right there, isn't it?

-Which is brilliant for working,

-for cooking. That's good.

-You're not cramped in here.

-Not at all.

-Plenty of room for a table.

-Quite a sociable room.

-Yes.

And I like the windows, so there's lots of light in...

Yes, this corner window behind me works well.

-It's triple aspect, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-Again, just looking, it's been done.

-Nice lighting.

-It's been finished to a nice standard.

Great thing about this house is, the living room is just off the kitchen,

-so let me show you just through this door.

-Ah! Sorry!

So, conveniently off the kitchen.

-Oh, a vaulted ceiling!

-Yes, that's nice. Very attractive.

-Always like that.

-Yeah.

-So much light, with a high ceiling.

-Works well.

-That's what you get with barn conversions.

Now, let me squeeze through, and we'll go to the bedrooms.

Within the main house, there are three bedrooms in total.

The smallest one is a single,

and all three are served by a family shower room.

Now, this is the master.

OK.

-It's a little small.

-Yeah.

-What we're used to...

-But tap that wall.

It's a stud partition, so then you could knock through here

and have a lovely master suite, really good.

-You potentially could do that, couldn't you?

-Yeah. Like it.

'That concludes our tour of the main residence,

'though we haven't yet addressed the issue of storage

'for all their musical instruments. But, back outside,

'I think there could be the perfect solution.'

So...

we have the annexe.

There's an office, there's a double bedroom and a bathroom,

-so completely self-contained.

-Excellent.

You've still got a double garage here.

Might not need both of those. Could always build into one of them.

You'll need to reconfigure the garden.

-What's your thoughts on this, Jill?

-Well, the best thing is...

the way it's facing, and the sun here, I would think,

-pretty much all day.

-It's really sunny.

Yeah. You can put rosebeds anywhere.

You can put rosebeds in the lawn space and up against the house.

-Make an interesting pattern on the lawn. There's a lot you could do.

-OK.

How much do you think this house, with the annexe,

is on the market for?

Um, I'm going to go 470.

-OK. Jill?

-I think it'll be a little bit more,

-so 480.

-All right.

Well, it's on the market, and has been for two months,

at £499,950.

-Oh, I'm well low, then.

-Yeah, so am I.

You're in the ballpark, but it's certainly a line in the sand.

-Yes.

-So why don't you go into the annexe,

have a good look around there and the house,

and I'll meet you when you're done. Away you go.

Thank you.

Under budget with an asking price £50 short of half a million pounds,

the first property is a detached barn conversion,

comprising a large kitchen/diner,

an impressive sitting room with vaulted ceiling,

three bedrooms, and a separate one-bedroom annexe.

-Oh, it's quite big, isn't it?

-Yeah, decent size.

-I like this.

-Nice skylight.

-Uh-huh.

When I walked into the house, the thing that struck me

was that it was quite modern and everything had been updated.

It looked like it was clean, light, bright.

I like the look of it.

I really like the accommodation and the outside space,

but the location, next to a couple of two-storey houses either side,

um, which do overlook somewhat,

that would deter me from actually pursuing this one.

-Well, then - all done and dusted?

-Yes, thank you.

Good. Well, that's property one finished and viewed. Off we go.

OK.

In the heart of Hampshire, along the River Test,

lies the small, historic market town of Romsey,

featuring an imposing Norman abbey

that can trace its origins right back to the tenth century.

As well as impressive ancient architecture,

the area also showcases a magnificent man-made landscape

of trees, plants and immaculate gardens.

Jill has a real passion for gardening,

so we arranged for our couple to visit this arboretum

to meet head gardener Fran Clifton for some green-fingered inspiration.

Welcome to Sir Harold Hiller Gardens, Jill and Mike.

It's lovely to have you here, and we have great sunshine today.

The gardens were started pretty much 60 years ago

by Sir Harold, when he thought,

"Actually, I'd like to see the trees grow rather than selling them all."

He was a third-generation nurseryman, and always selling them,

but he wanted to collect them. We have a few fantastic champion trees,

be it the fattest, the tallest, the smallest of its kind.

-And how many have you got here?

-Just over 500.

-Wow!

So we're very proud to be listed one of the top gardens within TROBI,

which is Tree Register of the British Isles.

Sir Harold Hillier was an active importer and collector

of new species from all over the world,

and today the 180 acre site has 13 national tree collections

and over 11,000 different species of plants.

One particular highlight is the Centenary Border,

created by Hillier in 1964

to celebrate the 100th anniversary

of the nursery founded by his grandfather.

We're here at the Centenary Border of the gardens,

250 metres of herbaceous plants, grasses,

bulbs in full bloom at the moment,

a celebration of colour and shapes and textures, really.

At times we had 30 volunteers planting on the border,

be it the herbaceous, the grasses, the trees,

or 8,000 alliums, which are in full bloom today, as you can see.

Amazing! What could I do? I'd love to be involved in horticulture.

Well, there's a multitude of stuff you can do.

You can either join one of our teams, be it on the border

or the Magnolia Avenue, or you can join the herbarium team,

where they go actively out and collect for...

preserving the collection within the herbarium.

Today the site is run as a charitable trust,

and relies on dedicated volunteers to preserve the trees and plants,

and also to collate the cuttings for their botanical records.

This is one of the specimens we could cut for the herbarium.

It's a magnolia Summer Solstice. It's in its prime.

The flower, or the bud, is just opening now,

which we then can press out in the arboretum and dry it.

And we have a piece of the trunk as well,

cos for identification purposes, you need everything on a plant.

Right! And here we go.

That's the beginning of the preparation of a herbarium specimen.

The cuttings are pressed and labelled,

then stored in the herbarium, a kind of plant library

that currently contains over 6,000 specimens.

And now that Mike and Jill have discovered

how the community can play a hands-on role

in preserving the area's horticultural heritage,

it's time to dig a bit deeper, and hope our house search can...

well, come up roses.

For our second property, we're heading four miles south

of Bishop's Waltham to the village of Wickham.

Dating back to at least Roman times,

today the picturesque village is lined with historic buildings,

housing a great variety of shops and restaurants,

and just a mile away on the more rural fringes of the village

and right opposite the Forest of Bere, we find our second property.

-The house. Do you like it?

-Yes.

-I do, yeah.

-Yeah?

-Yeah. Very positive first impression, yeah.

-That's all we want to hear. Let's go inside.

-OK.

'Originally built in the 1930s,

'this bungalow has been considerably extended over the years,

'and we're heading straight for the main living areas at the back.'

Let's start with the living room in this one.

Ooh! Oh, that's nice.

Nice! Modern, light, bright.

-It's got a good feel to it.

-It has, hasn't it?

-Uh-huh.

-Oh!

-Now, that is a burner.

That's a fire, isn't it? That really is.

-You wouldn't need central heating if you've got that.

-Almost!

-But you've got to be... OK...

-Nice.

It's a 1930s house, or bungalow,

but inside it's very contemporary, isn't it?

Yes. Yeah. Very tasteful. Nice floor. I like the floor.

Beyond... I'll show you the kitchen. You don't need to dine elsewhere,

but you do have a conservatory that's set up for formal dining,

which I thought was maybe a foot in each camp for you.

-That might be nice, yeah.

-Very nice.

-Could move in.

-Yeah.

-Well, I almost think Jill has,

but let's show you both the kitchen. Let me squeeze past you.

-So, the kitchen!

-Oh, very nice.

-Lovely view of the garden.

-Spacious.

You have a utility room with this place,

so you can get the white goods out of the way if you want to.

-Talking your language there, aren't we?

-Very much so.

-Eh?

-Yes, I want white goods out, food in.

-Lovely.

-This feels a bit more like a day room, a morning room,

you know, with the breakfast bar, casual seating,

the patio doors open in the summer...

-There's a lot you could do with this.

-Feels good.

Well, I'm glad you say that,

because these two rooms are very important to you,

but I want to show you something that may be a bit unexpected,

-which is right up your pair street. Let's go.

-Oh, excellent!

So, just through the utility room...

Oh!

-Oh, this is super, isn't it?

-What a nice little room!

-Yeah!

-Oh, yes. This is good.

-Now, we know what this room's going to be, don't we?

-Mm-hm!

-I suspect we do.

-Mm-hm.

Music room.

I was already thinking, "Well, where would we put the piano?"

-"Not enough room for the piano."

-You can see it in here, can't you?

Your third bedroom is just through there, with its own en suite,

and you still have a music room.

You said a third bedroom would be the music room.

You've got that extra room, that extra space,

-but also your guests aren't right on top of you.

-Sounds perfect.

This extended arm of the property lies to the rear of the house,

accessed through the kitchen and utility.

The remaining two bedrooms are back in the main part of the property

to the front, and are both large and well proportioned rooms.

One is a bright double that looks out over the front garden,

and is served by the family bathroom.

And the final bedroom is the master suite.

So...

-Bedroom.

-That's a good, decent size, isn't it?

I like the storage space.

Behind that door, en-suite shower and loo.

Splendid. There's plenty of room for storage as well,

much as I know I get a bit obsessed with storage.

It's a practical thing. You can fall in love with a house.

The sun's shining, so some of our practicalities have already disappeared out the window,

but you're looking at what it's going to be like when you move in.

-And it's a big house.

-Mm.

-It's a lot of room.

-Is it too big?

-No.

-No.

-Great news! Well, it's going really well so far, isn't it?

-Yes. Yeah.

-Let's take a look at the garden.

-Let me just squeeze past you there.

-Sorry.

-Thank you very much.

The front garden has a huge gravel drive

with plenty of parking, and again, a double garage.

'But we need to find out if the back garden is appropriate

'for Jill's veggie aspirations.'

-So, a cracking garden!

-Yes. Lovely.

Very nicely laid out. Lovely trees, shrubs, everything.

-Well, not overlooked?

-Good size.

No, not really.

Inside, it's immaculate. This garden is immaculate.

It's owned, actually... The guys who live here at the moment,

-he's a green-keeper at a golf course.

-OK.

-Hence the fact that...

-I was just looking at the grass. Beautiful.

Yeah. Which suggests there may be a golf course somewhere nearby.

Er, three, three and a half miles away.

-That'll do.

-That's good.

-Yeah. Like that.

-So...

-That's very nice.

-..how much...

-Ooh...

..do you think this place is on the market for, then?

-520.

-520. OK. Mike?

Mm. I'm going to say 535.

Well, yeah. I mean, you've seen the house.

You've seen the gardens, of course.

It's on the market for £475,000.

Oh!

SHE LAUGHS Wow.

-You've taken me aback there.

-Yeah. I am very surprised.

In terms of the shopping list we gave to you,

I find it hard to fault it.

-Yes, it's good.

-Very impressed.

-Have to give this a lot of thought.

-Have a mooch around.

Get to know it. Have a look round the place you haven't yet seen,

-and I'll meet you whenever you've finished.

-Great.

-Thanks!

A huge £50,000 under budget,

the second property is a detached 1930s bungalow

that's had a thoroughly modern makeover

and features a large kitchen/diner, two reception rooms

and three bedrooms, two of which are en suite.

And the whole lot offers plenty of scope

for our buyers' specific hobbies, both inside and out.

-Oh, it's a nice room, isn't it?

-It's a good size.

Spacious, looking out on the garden, really nice.

That's a really nice aspect of the front garden, isn't it?

-I like that a lot.

-I like the lounge very much,

especially the big fireplace,

and the kitchen was super.

I love the garden. It's a great size.

Not too big, very manageable, well laid out.

Lots of room for what we would want to do.

Yeah, it seems to fit the bill very well.

What a great location!

A quiet road opposite woodland, and pretty close to Wickham.

My first impression was,

you know, I could see us living here.

It's interesting layout, because it's got a kind of extra bit

built on the back, which gives us the additional room

which we could use for a den or almost anything,

and the guest room, so that's made all the difference to the property.

The house is something that we would seriously consider.

We're going to have to give it some serious thought.

-Now, then, have you explored the gardens?

-Oh, yes.

-Yes.

-Did you have a good time?

-Great.

-Yeah.

Lots to see. Lots of little nooks and crannies.

And you're both still smiling, which is great news.

-It's a super place.

-A good point to end today's search on, yeah?

-Yeah.

-Very much.

It's day two of our property search,

and, on a budget of £525,000,

we're helping Surrey-based retirees Mike and Jill

to head for new horizons in Hampshire.

Still to come, we're revealing a real vintage classic

in the form of our mystery property.

-Wow!

-Isn't that pretty?!

'And I'll be getting fired up on a foreign superfood

'that's found new pastures here in Hampshire.'

Wow! It's got a bit of a kick to it.

Mike and Jill have told me they'd love to move to a house

that's contemporary inside and requires little or no work.

Well, the mystery property is a 19th-century thatched house

that needs some TLC, so we are going a little bit off-piste.

But, on the up side, it's got the sort of charm

that I think Mike could really fall for,

and a garden that Jill could really get her teeth into.

So, last night, much to discuss?

-Yes.

-Yeah, had a good chat,

-particularly about house number two.

-Good.

-So, mystery property today.

-Hmm.

-It could be anything, couldn't it?

-Yes.

Especially as I'm thinking... I've got one in the bag.

I might be taking a real gamble today.

The biggest gamble for us would probably be not detached,

so it might be something like a townhouse

or something that's attached on one side,

-but you think that maybe we could live with.

-Neighbours!

Well, the neighbours won't need earplugs,

but at our final property stop,

Mike and Jill might want to swap instruments for paintbrushes,

and to get there, we're travelling out of their preferred search area

to the village of Over Wallop, near the Hampshire-Wiltshire border.

The most northerly of three attractive villages

known collectively as The Wallops, the small and charming Over Wallop

is chock-full of pretty thatched buildings

as well as a village shop.

And in the midst of green and tranquil Hampshire countryside

peacefully sits our mystery house.

-Oh, my word!

-Wow!

Oh, heavens above!

-Wow!

-Isn't that pretty?!

-It's not contemporary.

-It's "wow"!

-No, it isn't, is it? But it is "wow".

-Totally "wow".

-Dying to see inside.

-Yes. I want to see inside.

Let's go inside, then. Come on.

'With a pedigree dating back to the 19th century,

'the mystery house is an utterly charming Grade II listed cottage

'under a recently thatched roof.

'It's absolutely packed with period features,

'but the twist is that it's a far cry from the modern living space

'Jill and Mike requested.'

So, the big moment!

SHE SIGHS

-Lovely!

-Big inglenook fireplace.

-It's dramatic.

-There's even a little bread oven at the side, as well.

-Yeah.

First reception room. Second one just through here.

Oh, another reception?

So, this one's a bit brighter, actually, this room.

Oh, another reception room, and another open fire.

-Good size, as well.

-Yes, another fire.

-Three windows.

-It's spacious, though.

That's... Actually, if you combine the size of the lounge

and this as well, there's a lot of room.

-Plenty of living space, isn't there?

-Yes.

With two comfortably sized reception rooms to choose from,

there's definitely a solution for their music room.

'Time to see if the kitchen fits the bill.'

Now, then, the lowest ceiling of the house!

Oh, that's fine. Not a problem.

-No, it's actually bigger than I thought it would be.

-Is it?

It's quite spacious. I was expecting it to be really tiny.

Again, you get some white goods out the way,

-because you got a utility. Have you cooked with one of them?

-No.

Not a clue. But I'm sure you can learn fairly easily.

It's got two windows, which is great. That brightens it up a lot.

The last room to see on the ground floor is the bathroom,

which could benefit from a makeover.

'But, unusually for a property of this type,

'there are two spacious bathrooms, and the other one lies upstairs

'alongside the bedrooms.'

I love these steps into this master room.

-Oh, isn't this lovely?

-I wasn't expecting that.

Oh, it's so pretty! I love the staircase coming up,

and the window. Isn't that smashing?

Now, you got three bedrooms up here on the first floor,

family bathroom. With three bedrooms and that second reception room,

you've got options. You don't have to lose a bedroom

-to get your music room.

-No.

It's not just heart-versus-head, this house.

You do have some practicalities here.

This is a real... This is a real bonus.

As I said, I wasn't expecting this room,

and it's stunning.

So, outside - garden's hugely important.

Let's go and see where you could get your hands dirty.

-OK.

-Great.

'I'm really encouraged that both Jill and Mike are keeping positive

'about this delightful mystery cottage,

'and I'm confident that the well tended, south-facing rear garden,

'enveloped by glorious countryside, won't disappoint.'

Oh... Oh!

Golly, what a lovely garden!

Let's have a sit on this flint wall, shall we?

So...

-What...

-What a picture!

-Gorgeous, isn't it?

-It is absolutely gorgeous.

-I think I'll just stay here.

-It's so pretty!

-And this garden?

-Oh, fabulous!

All right. How much do you think

this beautiful thatched house is up for sale for -

bearing in mind it does need some work, but in a village like this?

I'm going to say 535.

OK. Jill?

There's a lot that needs doing to update it,

in terms of the kitchen, the bathroom, or the two bathrooms.

So I would go down a little bit and say 500.

Not a bad guess, Jill.

This place is on the market for offers around £495,000.

Gosh! Yeah. Well, it must be for that reason,

because everything else about it is just superb.

This is the last thing we're seeing,

-so take as much time as you want inside the house.

-OK.

-All right?

-Thank you.

-I'll sit here in the sun!

-Don't overdo it, Jonnie.

No, I'll try not to.

Yet again comfortably under budget

for offers in the region of £495,000,

the mystery house is a listed 19th-century thatched cottage,

with two separate reception rooms, a roomy kitchen,

three bedrooms, and large, beautifully kept cottage gardens.

Oh, a double room! Another double room.

It's not a bad-sized room. I wasn't expecting...

The gardens are fabulous, south-facing, rural...

It's just beautiful. The setting... You couldn't improve on it.

When I came inside the house, it was pretty much what I expected -

lovely big inglenook fireplace, low beams, cottagey.

But I could see there were things that we would need to do to it,

quite a lot of work.

Everything about it outside is perfect.

I'm just not totally convinced that the inside is what we're looking for.

-Well, then, this got you thinking, didn't it?

-Oh, yes!

-Yes, very much.

-Why don't you go away now

and have a think about all three properties,

because there's quite a bit to discuss, isn't there?

-I'll catch you later on.

-Cheers.

-Good luck!

-Bye.

So, as Jill and Mike's house search here in Hampshire draws to a close,

let's take a look at other properties here on the market.

This striking architectural example in Clanfield

is believed to date back to the 16th century,

and is abundant with historic character,

including an inglenook fireplace in the living room,

quarry tiles in the cosy kitchen, and exposed timbers

in the two bedrooms. And the price?

A steal at £250,000.

But £350,000 could buy you

this beautifully renovated three-bed semi in Smannell.

It features a modern kitchen, open-plan lounge/diner,

as well as separate sanctuary in a second living room.

Lastly, this listed four-bedroom 17th-century thatch

in the small village of Amport has a price tag of £620,000,

and presents a splendid slice of old-English charm.

More than 80 percent of the land in Hampshire

is used for farming and forestry,

but in the depths of the countryside,

one pioneering farm has successfully diversified

from cultivating watercress to the native Japanese superfood, wasabi,

one of the rarest and most expensive vegetables in the world,

that's notoriously difficult to grow.

'So I went to the farm to find out from product manager James Harper

'just how they've managed to cultivate and harvest

'this valuable crop.'

-Hi, James.

-Hey, Jonnie! How you doing?

Very good, thanks! Very good. What an amazing place!

It's not what I was expecting,

but I was surprised to even hear we had wasabi here in the UK.

It's Europe's first wasabi farm.

I don't think it's what anybody expects!

-Europe's first, eh?

-Absolutely.

-So, James, what is wasabi?

-Wasabi is a Japanese aquatic plant.

-Yeah.

Although it looks like a root, it's actually a rhizome.

It's a swollen plant stem. And you grind this up.

The paste that you buy in the supermarket is trying to mimic this.

So, how come you're growing it here in Hampshire?

You'd think it would only grow in Japan.

The reason is... We're standing in it. It's spring water.

It's mineral-rich spring water that comes out at source

around ten or 11 degrees, so year round, it's protective for the plant.

It keeps it cool in the summer and nice and warm in the winter,

and it's the minerals and nutrients that the plant uses,

-and this is why we're here in Hampshire.

-Is this fully grown?

No. This is less than a year old. It gets to be quite a large plant.

-Shall we go and have a look?

-Yeah, please.

-Do some harvesting.

'Wasabi is a member of the same family as cabbage and horseradish.

'It grows wild in Japan, but here it takes two painstaking years to harvest.'

Now, I tell you what, James - this is impressive.

-Bit bigger, isn't it?

-These are magnificent plants, aren't they?

-Shall we pull one out, have a look at it?

-I'd love to.

-This one looks about ready.

-You feel around for what - a rhizome?

Yeah, rhizome. These bits here are the actual roots themselves,

but these bits that look like roots are actually rhizomes,

-swollen plant stems.

-Could someone at home

-grow this kind of plant?

-Yeah, it's possible.

In fact, we actually sell plants to the public.

We use everything on the plant. The leaves are edible.

-You can eat it raw?

-Yeah.

-Can I have a go?

Yeah.

That is sweet. Ooh! It's still got a bit of a kick...

It's still got a bit of a kick to it.

'The price of fresh rhizome is just as eye-watering as the taste,

'and costs upwards of £25 per 100 grams.

'Traditionally ground into a hot paste to accompany sushi,

'wasabi's intense flavour and heat is now used as a key ingredient

'in a range of dishes, both surf and turf.'

It always used to be used with sashimi and sushi,

because it's got anti-microbial and anti-parasitic properties,

so any fish parasites or any bacteria that's in the fish,

they ate wasabi to counteract that. But nowadays, chefs are using it.

It works fantastically with steak, as you'll find out.

Now, whilst this steak is just finishing off cooking,

-I've got one eye on these oysters.

-Well, let's give it a go.

-Yeah, please.

-There we are.

Thank you very... Cor, that is a lot of wasabi!

-Cheers!

-Chin-chin.

Oh!

That goes so well!

'Wasabi is not just simply hot. It has more of a nutty flavour,

'and unlike chilli, you get a kick through the nostrils

'as opposed to the back of the throat.

'But once it's been grated, there's about 15 minutes

'before it oxidises and loses its flavour.'

If you don't mind, I'm just going to help myself.

While you're doing that, I'll stick some leaves in a pan...

-OK.

-..and, er, we can try those,

because they're very good with rock salt, tossed in butter.

This is going along the lines of... I've just done you a bit there.

This is going along the lines of using the whole plant again.

Mm!

-Oh, that is amazing!

-Well cooked, Jonnie. Well done.

'Even the leaves are edible, much like spring greens

'when they're wilted down.'

-OK.

-Right, see what you think.

-They're lovely!

-Quite fibrous.

-Yeah, very much so.

And after savouring a flavour of the Far East,

but freshly grown in Hampshire, it's about time we found out

if any of our three properties are to the taste of Jill and Mike.

At the start of today, I was pretty sure we had a firm favourite

from Mike and Jill, but after some amazing reactions from both of them

at the mystery property, I wonder,

has it done enough to turn their heads? Let's find out.

-Howdy-doody.

-Hello!

-Hi, Jonnie.

-Oh, lovely spot again.

-Beautiful.

So, you've had a bit of time to think.

What's your favourite property?

-In a word...

-BOTH: Number two.

OK. What is it about the second house that makes it your favourite?

It's the flexibility of the accommodation.

That annexe that was built onto the back,

you could use that living room

between the kitchen and the extra bedroom

as a music room or a study, or almost as a day sitting room.

Nice sociable kitchen, airy conservatory

with a nice outlook from it, gardens just the right size,

plenty of sun, opposite woodland...

And everything done. That's a big thing.

There's nothing immediately crying out to be renovated or modernised.

Your head wasn't turned by the mystery house, then?

It was really beautiful to look at,

and the environment and everything about it was great from the outside,

but it didn't really fit the bill.

Are there any question marks over the second property?

I think we've thought we would like very much to have another look.

I think you should do just that. Go back there on another day,

-spend some time there.

-I'm sure we will.

-I want to get it right, and this has been really helpful.

-It really has.

Good. Well, it's been a pleasure to accompany you

these past couple of days, and find out a bit more about the area

and what's of interest to you, so thank you both very much.

-It's been great fun.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

It looks like the mystery property was a fairly tempting option,

but it seems like Mike and Jill have kept their heads on this one.

And let's face it, property number two did pretty much give them

everything they said they're after. But it's a big move for a couple,

so I think they're doing the right thing in coming back here

for a second viewing. They'll get the chance to suss out the area too.

And then, if all goes well,

hopefully they'll both make an escape to Hampshire sometime soon.

See you next time.

On reflection, Mike and Jill decided not to pursue the second property,

but are looking for their dream home away from their initial search area

and around the location of the mystery house instead.

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