02/12/2012 Countryfile


02/12/2012

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The chalklands of the South Downs.

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Farming country through and through.

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For centuries, these fields and leafy lanes

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have gladdened the hearts of all who have lived here,

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providing a real source of inspiration.

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It's no surprise that this place nurtured

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one of our best-loved naturalists.

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Gilbert White's engaging observations

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inspired Charles Darwin and are still being read today,

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but it's not just the man.

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I'll also be finding out about his pet.

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Ellie's got her own literary journey to go on.

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I'll be taking a leaf out of another book when I get into character

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to experience life as Jane Austen lived it in the early 1800s.

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She spent the last decade of her life living here

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and liked nothing more than getting out and about into the countryside.

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What do you think of the dress?

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Meanwhile, Tom's gone in search of a healthy snack.

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Fancy some tasty greens?

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Qualifies as one of your five-a-day.

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And that's a slogan that is now ten-years-old.

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In that time, it should have improved the nation's health

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and maybe given a welcome boost to farmers' incomes along the way.

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But has it delivered? I'll be investigating.

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Adam's finding out whether the appliance of science

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could give us healthier pigs.

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In this laboratory they're using some of the latest technology

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developed for some of Hollywood's biggest blockbusters

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to find out if this pig potentially has a problem

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that could affect pigs all across the UK.

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Later on, we'll be finding out how she performs.

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You're lovely, aren't you?

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The South Downs.

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600 square miles of rolling chalk hills,

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dramatic heaths and ancient woodland.

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The vast park stretches from the coastline near Eastbourne

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all the way to Winchester, 100 miles to the west.

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Captivating and timeless, it's a landscape that's been

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an inspiration to some of its inhabitants.

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I'm in the village of Selborne

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to discover the story of a man who lived here in the 1700s.

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His name was Gilbert White, a local clergyman with a natural curiosity.

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Gilbert had a passion for gardening

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which flourished into an obsession of observing all living things.

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Putting pen to paper, he wrote about what he saw.

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His letters were published as a book -

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the Natural History of Selborne.

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It's said to be the fourth most-published book

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in the English language,

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and it revolutionised the way we look at the natural world.

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To find out how, I'm meeting Ronnie Davidson-Houston.

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He's been studying Gilbert's life and work since he was ten,

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and I'm getting the impression he's a pretty big fan.

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I found this book which was just so beautifully written,

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so readable, and really appealed to me.

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-And has done ever since.

-And have you collected all of his work since?

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Well, I'm still trying.

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I've got about 1,000 copies which are now in the museum here.

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-He was a very, very special man, wasn't he?

-Absolutely.

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He's what we call the first ecologist.

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He took the whole of nature, including man, in his writing.

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And he was the person who first started everybody bird watching.

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And of course he inspired Darwin, among others.

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Gilbert's love of nature began in the garden of his country home -

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today, a museum. His passion flourished.

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And I'm meeting deputy head gardener Rose Mallion,

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who is recreating Gilbert's garden by taking a leaf from his own book.

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-Hello, Rose.

-Hello, Matt, nice to meet you.

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-Are you all right?

-Yes, thank you.

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-Good. Busy planting?

-Yes. We're planting out our bulb border

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in accordance with the record Gilbert kept for us in his garden calendar.

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So we know exactly what he planted

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-and the place in which he planted them.

-Right. OK then.

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-So shall we pop up there, then?

-Let's go up and have a go.

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What you need to do is get the bulb about three times

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its own depth into the soil, and cover over with a trowel.

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-Tulipa clusiana, that one.

-What else would he have been planting?

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He would have been planting double hyacinths, jonquils and tulips.

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That's what Gilbert called, "The rank clay that required

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"the labour of years to render it useful."

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He's got a lovely turn of phrase, hasn't he?

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He's got a lovely turn of phrase, yes.

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And how did it expand from this border to more of the natural world?

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He called himself an outdoor naturalist,

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and because he was outside

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he was able to observe patterns in behaviour,

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the changes in the season - all those things,

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because he was out gardening, he noticed.

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Gilbert's passion for observing wildlife was born.

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It soon turned into an obsession that would continue

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for the rest of his life.

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Whilst out in the garden watching the seasons change

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and nature at work he would come and sit in a chair

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just like this one up here, up on this little mound.

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CHURCH BELLS PEAL

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Well, from here,

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he would soak up his natural surroundings like a sponge.

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He believed the more confined your sphere of observation,

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the more perfect would be your remarks.

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Very comfortable. Might get one of these at home, actually.

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And this was his sphere. The countryside around his home.

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His observations were recorded in a series of letters

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bound into his book - The Natural History of Selborne.

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The 18th-century manuscript is held in the museum,

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and I've been given special permission to have a look.

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In his letters, Gilbert was describing things

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that had never been written down before.

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Like this - the first-ever description of a harvest mouse.

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"They're much smaller and more slender

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"and have more of the squirrel or dormouse colour."

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Gilbert's peers were describing new species as well,

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but there was something that Gilbert was alone in doing.

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He was questioning how animals lived and behaved.

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Listen to what he said about the nest of a harvest mouse,

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"Perfectly round, about the size of a cricket ball.

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"It was so compact and well filled, how could the dam" -

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that's the mother mouse - "come at her young

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"and administer a teat to each?"

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You can hear the excitement in his words.

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By writing down his observations and questions,

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he had started the science of ecology. The study of animals

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in their environment.

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His words would go on to inspire generations for centuries to come.

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Gilbert continued his writing up until a few days before he died.

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And in his last letter, in the manuscript,

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he wrote to a friend, "I shall here take a respectful leave from you

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"and from natural history altogether."

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Two decades after Gilbert wrote about rural Hampshire,

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a few miles away in the village of Chawton, country life

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was inspiring another great writer. Jane Austen.

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And this cottage is where Jane spent eight years of her life

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and finished off Pride And Prejudice, Sense And Sensibility

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and other literary works that made her a household name.

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Let's take a look inside.

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Jane's books reflect the everyday pleasures and pains of rural life,

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as witnessed by this passage from her novel Mansfield Park.

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I'm going to find out what it was like to live here

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in Jane Austen's day.

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It's a great excuse to get dressed up.

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Jane Austen may have written Emma and Persuasion,

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among other books, here but did you also know

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that she was a very accomplished pianist? Unlike me.

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She used to practise in this room every day before breakfast.

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So here we go.

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PLAYS PIANO

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-HITS WRONG NOTE

-Oh!

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This is what it SHOULD sound like.

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MUSIC: "I That Was Once A Ploughman"

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Jane's handwritten notes on the score

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show her obvious pleasure in the music.

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Louise, this is a lovely house. But it's not big, is it?

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What was life like for the family back then?

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I think it was fairly comfortable. Daily life would have been probably

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quite straightforward, you know, you mentioned Jane playing the piano

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and then she made the breakfast and then she would start writing.

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And we're told that sometimes Jane would suddenly leap up

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and she had a great idea for one of her books

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and might rush to her little table to write something down.

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How do Jane's books give us an insight into country life back then?

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In Pride And Prejudice, Jane, when she famously gets soaking wet

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and has to stay overnight at Netherfield,

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actually she can't take the carriage because Mr Bennett points out

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that the horses are needed on the farm.

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So you just get these little glimpses,

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which would be absolutely normal for the readership then,

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but now we think, "Oh, interesting,

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"they had a farm attached to the house."

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So Jane lived in this relatively modest house

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but her brother had an enormous estate.

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She was living in the shadow of his wealth. She was the poor relation.

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Most people, of course, were poor or dirt poor,

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but in that upper strata, I suppose the Austens were fairly low down.

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But this is completely reflected in her novels.

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All of them deal with this issue of class and money

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and where you are in that structure.

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Following in Jane's footsteps, I'm on my way

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to her brother's impressive mansion.

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And I'm travelling just as she would have done.

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There we go. That wasn't too inelegant, actually.

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So why a donkey rather than a horse?

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That's what I would have imagined.

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Rural people may not have had the money to actually own a horse.

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And a donkey invariably was a little bit smaller,

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a little bit easier to keep.

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I imagine on a long journey

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and perhaps without tarmac it might have been a touch on the bumpy side.

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In some respects, yes, but the way the carriages were built,

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they were sprung in such a way

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that actually it give you a very comfy ride.

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I must say, it's the only way to travel now.

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Oh, wow. Joanne, this is the spot right here. Look at that view.

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See you again. Cheers.

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This is my Jane Austen heroine moment.

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Come and look at this. I'm going to get into character.

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Chawton House, the home of Jane's brother Edward.

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It's said to have inspired this passage from Pride And Prejudice,

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when the heroine Elizabeth gets her first glimpse

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of the stately pile owned by Mr Darcy.

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You can imagine Jane Austen looking out over a scene like this,

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at the land being worked by heavy horses.

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And 200 years on, it's still being worked by heavy horses.

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I'd quite like to go and check it out,

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but I definitely need to get out of this rather impractical garb.

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Angie McLaren is the head horseman, and she's going to give me a lesson

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in harrowing the old-fashioned way.

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It's a job to catch up here. How are you doing, are you all right?

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I'm doing really well. Walk on.

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Hey, Royston.

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So in Jane Austen's day, shire horses like Royston,

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-would they have been quite a feature?

-Definitely.

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It was all just farm equipment

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and obviously a horse of this size can pull quite a bit of weight.

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-Yeah.

-And what we're doing today is chain harrowing.

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What it's doing is dragging out all the old grass

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and also any moss that's in there, and it aerates the soil.

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-So just taking all the dead stuff off the top?

-Yes.

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-Would it be possible for me to have a go?

-Yes. Certainly.

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-What do I need to know?

-Ooh, lad. OK, these are your lines.

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-Make sure you don't put them round your wrist.

-OK.

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And I'll give you the commands. To go left, you say, "Come over."

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And to go right you say, "Get away."

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-And to go just say "Walk on."

-OK. Walk on! Walk on!

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Good boy. Just keep a little bit of tension on here,

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-but not too much?

-That's right.

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How important is it to keep shire horses in this context,

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where Jane Austen lived and in this landscape?

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The public love to see the horses on the estate here

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and to have them actually back on the estate

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when they would have been here when Jane Austen was walking around,

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it's like going to work on a film set every day.

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It's absolutely amazing.

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I've been in costume already today -

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I tell you, I feel like I'm in a movie as well.

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Thanks to the work going on here,

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the landscape today looks very much as it would have done in Jane's day.

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Our idea of what it means to live healthily

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has certainly moved on a bit since Jane Austen's day.

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We all know that we need to eat five-a-day.

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But has that expression really worked? Tom's been finding out.

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The fields of Lincolnshire. Vast acres of winter veg -

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the kind of produce that finds its way to the nation's market halls.

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Vibrant, colourful places where you can load up

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on nourishing fruit and veg from home and abroad.

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Whether it's oranges from Morocco, a juicy melon from Spain,

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or maybe some nice fresh sprouts from an English field,

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we all know that eating fruit and veg is good for us.

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And here at Coventry market

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they certainly seem to have an appetite for it.

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But as a nation, we're eating less healthily than before,

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and that's despite one of the most famous health slogans ever.

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Five-a-day was launched ten years ago this month.

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It was the government's way of getting us to eat more fruit and veg,

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essential in the fight against things like heart disease,

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obesity and even cancer.

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A portion can be a medium-sized apple or banana,

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three tablespoons of cooked veg, or even a glass of fruit juice.

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Easy, right?

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Well, not quite.

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A quick glimpse in our shopping basket shows us why.

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The original idea of the message was to encourage us

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to eat more fruit, veg, and maybe salad.

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But what about this? Ready meals?

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It says it's got one of our five a day, so that's OK, right?

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Well, that depends on your point of view.

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There are strict rules about using the official five-a-day logo,

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but it's OK to use the slogan

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as long as what you're selling contains a portion of fruit or veg.

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And that could include the juice in your favourite breakfast drink

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or maybe the tomato sauce in the beans you like on toast.

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But is it OK to use the slogan on ready meals

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and other processed foods?

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Yes, you might be getting one of your five a day,

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but that often comes with increased amounts of salt or sugar.

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Food activist Kath Dalmeny thinks the public are being misled.

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Let's just have a look at some of these.

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This is a ready meal, and this, obviously, is an apple.

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Both claiming to have one of the five-a-day.

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-What issues do you have with these?

-When the five-a-day message

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was first invented to try and improve the nation's health,

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it's about eating more apples and oranges and broccoli

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and cabbage and bananas, it's not about eating more ready meals.

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People were already eating enough ready meals.

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We don't need to be encouraged to eat more of those.

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We need to be encouraged to eat more of this.

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But this says one of my five-a-day, so what's your beef?

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When you cook food, you might add salt, you might add some fat

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or whatever to your own meal, but you would see how much is going on.

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When you put it into a ready meal,

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there's all kinds of other products in here.

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The ingredients, you can see on the front,

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it says there's 2.96g of salt, which is, as it says, 49%,

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that's round about half of all of the salt you should eat in one day.

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-Just in one meal!

-Let's have a look at what that means.

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We've got our little scales here.

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When you look at the pile of salt, what you're seeing

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is national advice on how much salt you should maximally eat in a day

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to maintain your good health and to avoid getting heart disease.

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So in that product there, there's basically half this amount.

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Roughly. That's about right.

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There's a phrase that people use which is that the five-a-day message

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gives a kind of healthy halo to products.

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People are dying to put it onto their packets

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and give the healthy halo to the product,

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but when it sites appearing on salty products and very sugary products,

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there's something going amiss. The message has been hijacked.

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It makes me angry, because a lot of effort has been put into it

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by dieticians, by nutritionists, to try and reduce

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cancer risk in this country, to try and reduce heart disease.

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This is serious stuff. This isn't a game.

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This is about getting people to eat more healthy fruit and vegetables.

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So are the British public being hoodwinked into buying stuff

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they believe to be healthy, when the opposite may be true?

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Terry Jones from the Food And Drink Federation

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thinks the industry is very clear about what goes into their products.

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A few things that confuse me.

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An apple, clearly one of your five-a-day.

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But this ready meal also claiming to be one of your five-a-day

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yet it comes loaded with things that might not be good for you.

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How can that be?

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What you've got there is a composite product

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that contains all manner of...

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It's a meal in itself, and one of the key ingredients is vegetables.

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And a portion, one portion of vegetables.

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But isn't putting five-a-day on some of these products giving them

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a healthy mask which isn't justified by the ingredients?

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No, I wouldn't agree with that.

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Because what you're doing there is providing really clear

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information that shows you the calories, the sugar, the fat,

0:19:350:19:39

the saturated fat and the salt. And you also know

0:19:390:19:43

that you could get one of your five-a-day from that.

0:19:430:19:46

But this is more healthy than packaged food.

0:19:460:19:49

On its own, absolutely.

0:19:490:19:52

But we're in the middle of central London here.

0:19:520:19:55

That's a raw sprig of broccoli. Is it the most convenient...?

0:19:550:20:00

But this is convenient. I can eat it raw.

0:20:000:20:04

It's very healthy for me, isn't it?

0:20:040:20:06

I'd love to join you with that, but I don't want to spoil my lunch.

0:20:060:20:10

What I'm saying is that where consumers struggle

0:20:100:20:15

to get all of their five-a-day,

0:20:150:20:17

this helps them to get that extra one or two.

0:20:170:20:19

Five-a-day is a simple enough slogan, but has it delivered?

0:20:210:20:24

Later on I'll be finding out why even eating the fresh stuff

0:20:240:20:28

hasn't always been good news for our health or our farmers.

0:20:280:20:32

This week, we're exploring the rolling hills of the South Downs.

0:20:380:20:43

Hidden amongst the broad, open landscape

0:20:430:20:46

is a rare and wild terrain.

0:20:460:20:49

Traditional heathland. Once abundant,

0:20:490:20:51

this low-lying heath now covers a tiny 1% of these Downs.

0:20:510:20:57

During the past 200 years, stunning heathland like this

0:20:570:21:00

has been disappearing at an alarming rate right across the nation.

0:21:000:21:04

So when the chance came up,

0:21:040:21:06

a dedicated bunch of people made the bold move

0:21:060:21:09

of trying to protect this particular heath.

0:21:090:21:13

They had the idea of turning back the clock

0:21:140:21:17

and working the land the old-fashioned way.

0:21:170:21:19

They are members of the Lynchmere Society.

0:21:210:21:23

Lynchmere is the local parish around here.

0:21:230:21:26

What they did was dig deep in their pockets

0:21:260:21:28

and buy 307 acres of this heath.

0:21:280:21:32

I'm joining them for a day on their heath,

0:21:330:21:36

and my host is Mark Allery, one of the joint owners.

0:21:360:21:39

So what would have happened to this place, Mark,

0:21:390:21:42

if the society hadn't bought it?

0:21:420:21:44

If these trees kept growing, it would become a woodland.

0:21:440:21:46

We've got to keep cutting them down so the heathland plants can flourish.

0:21:460:21:50

So what is a heathland?

0:21:500:21:51

Heathland is blueberry, like we're standing on,

0:21:510:21:53

heather, surrounding us, and of course gorse and bracken

0:21:530:21:56

and all those plants that you associate with more open areas.

0:21:560:21:59

Let me show you how this works.

0:21:590:22:01

If we just put it under some tension

0:22:010:22:03

and then I'm just going to take a swipe through it.

0:22:030:22:05

-Right. Just like that.

-Just like that.

0:22:060:22:08

So if you push it back under tension. And then slice through like a knife.

0:22:080:22:12

-That's it.

-I'm not as good as you.

-You've got it. You've got it.

0:22:120:22:15

That's not bad for the first go.

0:22:160:22:18

When the society bought this heath, was it difficult to raise the money?

0:22:180:22:23

It was a big local appeal and we had over 600 people

0:22:230:22:25

in the parish who actually contributed, raising over £100,000,

0:22:250:22:29

which was matched by lottery money to buy the 307 acres of the commons.

0:22:290:22:33

-So people obviously felt passionate about this place.

-Yeah,

0:22:330:22:36

that's one of the really good things, the local community

0:22:360:22:38

is very involved with the restoration of these commons to heathland.

0:22:380:22:41

-And what did you do before that?

-I used to build spacecraft.

0:22:410:22:45

I was a rocket scientist. I know, I know!

0:22:450:22:47

This is easy-peasy compared to rocket science.

0:22:470:22:49

It's not, that's the fascinating thing! It's an absolutely huge book.

0:22:490:22:53

Every time I open another page, there's another book beneath it.

0:22:530:22:56

I have to learn about trees, have to learn about soil, geology,

0:22:560:22:59

landscape, history.

0:22:590:23:00

What's most important is, how did this landscape come about?

0:23:000:23:03

Who was using it? How did the community have the heathlands

0:23:030:23:06

200 years ago? And what were they doing that made it into a heathland

0:23:060:23:09

and what should we be doing now if we want to keep the heaths open?

0:23:090:23:13

Traditionally the trees and scrub

0:23:160:23:18

were harvested for firewood and bedding material.

0:23:180:23:21

Today some of the cuttings are being used to make lunch.

0:23:210:23:25

With the volunteer cooks busy in their woodland kitchen,

0:23:320:23:35

there is a chance for me to see one section of heathland

0:23:350:23:39

that's already been transformed back to the way it used to be.

0:23:390:23:43

Here's a patch that's been almost totally restored, Mark?

0:23:430:23:45

Yes. We cleared this area just a couple of years ago.

0:23:450:23:49

And what would this place have looked like beforehand?

0:23:490:23:52

There wouldn't have been any heather, and you wouldn't have been able

0:23:520:23:55

to walk through here, the trees would have been so thick.

0:23:550:23:58

The ultimate goal is to restore individual patches of heath,

0:24:000:24:04

then open up corridors to connect them.

0:24:040:24:07

And the society has an unusual request

0:24:070:24:09

for anyone visiting their land.

0:24:090:24:10

We'll be asking people to walk on the tracks, to walk off the tracks.

0:24:130:24:17

-To trample.

-To trample!

-Just like the cattle.

0:24:170:24:20

It's because bad soil here is a good thing.

0:24:200:24:23

The nutrient level is very low,

0:24:230:24:25

which is good because that keeps the plants struggling to survive

0:24:250:24:29

and that means that the rarer plants and the rarer wildlife

0:24:290:24:31

that lives in the habitat will do well.

0:24:310:24:33

So you're actually doing the opposite to most husbandry,

0:24:330:24:35

you want the poorest possible soil and you want people to walk on it.

0:24:350:24:38

Yes, we do, yes.

0:24:380:24:39

Time for lunch, and a chance to meet some of the other landowners.

0:24:390:24:44

-Did you put some of your money into this?

-Yes, we did.

0:24:450:24:48

In fact, we put £1,000 in and to us that was a huge amount.

0:24:480:24:53

But we just thought gosh, you know,

0:24:530:24:54

put your money where your mouth is, so to speak.

0:24:540:24:56

It's certainly hard work, isn't it? Why do you do it?

0:24:560:25:00

I grew up a mile and a half down the road, I used to play up here

0:25:000:25:02

a lot as a kid and that, and now I still get to play up here!

0:25:020:25:05

But there's a bit more of a point behind it, you know.

0:25:050:25:08

Today's patch of heath has been cleared, but for Mark,

0:25:100:25:13

the work doesn't end there.

0:25:130:25:15

Once the birch has been cleared, some of it goes on bonfires,

0:25:150:25:19

but other bits are put to use. It makes very good kindling.

0:25:190:25:22

And anyone who's ever seen a Harry Potter film

0:25:220:25:25

might guess what birch can also be used for.

0:25:250:25:27

-Isn't that right, Mark?

-Yes.

-For broomsticks!

-Indeed.

0:25:270:25:32

That looks to be a very special kind of tool you're using.

0:25:320:25:36

It's a broom squire's roundshave. They're very traditional tools

0:25:360:25:39

and tend to be made by local blacksmiths, or the broom squires.

0:25:390:25:41

-So as well as the handle, we need the sweeping bit.

-The head.

0:25:410:25:44

-Why don't you pick up one of the bales over there?

-One of these?

0:25:440:25:48

This looks about the right amount, does it?

0:25:480:25:51

There is enough for a broom in there.

0:25:510:25:54

And what appeals to you about this, Mark?

0:25:540:25:56

It's a sense of connection with the landscape

0:25:560:25:59

and also the people who were here before.

0:25:590:26:01

The house next to me was a family of broom squires about 100 years ago,

0:26:010:26:05

and I get a real sense of fulfilment

0:26:050:26:08

out of being out here working on the land

0:26:080:26:11

and doing the same kind of things that was used to maintain

0:26:110:26:15

the landscape, and will be in future, I hope.

0:26:150:26:18

And I can't find a bigger difference, I don't think,

0:26:180:26:20

from being a rocket scientist to a broom squire.

0:26:200:26:24

It's not rocket science, is it, John?

0:26:240:26:27

With a few finishing touches from this expert in space age propulsion,

0:26:280:26:33

our traditional broom is ready for action.

0:26:330:26:36

Ideal for sweeping up leaves. Or even...

0:26:370:26:42

It's not working! It's not working!

0:26:430:26:46

Exploring the grounds of Gilbert White's Hampshire residence,

0:26:550:26:59

it's easy to see why, with all this beauty on his doorstep,

0:26:590:27:02

he came to be one of our most inspiring naturalists.

0:27:020:27:05

Gilbert's stomping ground was the countryside around his home,

0:27:050:27:09

which included this.

0:27:090:27:11

A hillside with dramatic views.

0:27:110:27:13

Now obviously all the best vantage points are at the top,

0:27:130:27:17

so he did as any self-respecting Georgian man would do,

0:27:170:27:19

and he had a path cut all the way to the summit.

0:27:190:27:23

250 years later, the path is still intact.

0:27:240:27:28

Over a quarter of a mile,

0:27:310:27:33

28 switchbacks,

0:27:330:27:36

takes you over 200 feet above the surrounding countryside.

0:27:360:27:41

It's called the zigzag path and I'm heading for the top

0:27:410:27:43

to meet a man with a longstanding family tradition

0:27:430:27:46

of looking after it.

0:27:460:27:49

Chris Webb lives in the village

0:27:490:27:51

and manages the path for the National Trust.

0:27:510:27:53

-Chris!

-Hi, Matt.

-How are you doing, all right?

-All right, yeah.

0:27:530:27:57

-This is the top then, is it?

-It is. Yeah. You've made it.

0:27:570:27:59

It's a bit of a thigh-burner.

0:27:590:28:01

Chris, it's a belting view, this, isn't it?

0:28:010:28:04

We're about 250 feet above the village

0:28:040:28:06

and we're looking out across the west end of the Weald,

0:28:060:28:09

towards the North Downs.

0:28:090:28:10

-Well worth the hike.

-Excellent, yeah. It's a good day for it today.

0:28:100:28:14

Chris has been working on the path for 35 years.

0:28:160:28:20

And it seems to be in his blood.

0:28:200:28:21

I was working up here in the '70s as a schoolboy,

0:28:210:28:25

-helping keep the path open.

-OK.

0:28:250:28:27

My great-grandfather was maintaining the zigzag

0:28:270:28:30

for the first quarter of the 20th century.

0:28:300:28:33

When they rebuilt the zigzag in the 1890s my great-great-grandfather

0:28:330:28:36

was involved in that as well. So a bit of a family tradition.

0:28:360:28:40

-You've always had a connection.

-Absolutely.

0:28:400:28:43

-I wonder how many times you've been up it, then.

-Who knows?

0:28:430:28:46

Can't tell you. Several thousand times,

0:28:460:28:48

I should think, over the years.

0:28:480:28:50

Chris, you can see why Gilbert White wanted to have the path cut up here.

0:28:550:28:58

Get up at height, look over the surrounding countryside,

0:28:580:29:02

and just observe nature.

0:29:020:29:04

Beautiful.

0:29:040:29:06

Now earlier, we heard how eating your five-a-day

0:29:170:29:19

may not always be as good for you as you think.

0:29:190:29:22

So what exactly are we doing wrong? Here's Tom.

0:29:220:29:25

From the fields of Britain to the market stalls of the nation's towns,

0:29:330:29:37

there is a staggering choice of fresh, hearty produce

0:29:370:29:40

waiting to be snapped up.

0:29:400:29:42

So that's 62 for those.

0:29:440:29:45

£1.42.

0:29:450:29:47

£1.42, you're there before me, thank you very much.

0:29:470:29:49

'But we've needed a push to get us eating enough of it.'

0:29:490:29:54

Five-a-day - a clear message

0:29:540:29:55

encouraging us to eat more fruit and veg.

0:29:550:29:58

What could be simpler?

0:29:580:30:00

It should have delivered a healthier diet

0:30:000:30:02

and maybe provided a boost to British farmers along the way,

0:30:020:30:05

but it seems that after 10 years

0:30:050:30:07

we are more confused about the message than ever.

0:30:070:30:10

As we heard earlier,

0:30:120:30:13

critics claim big business has hijacked the slogan

0:30:130:30:16

with some food companies putting five-a-day on things like ready meals

0:30:160:30:20

that are also high in salt, fat or sugar.

0:30:200:30:24

But is it that simple? Is big business really to blame,

0:30:240:30:28

or did the message kind of misfire from the start?

0:30:280:30:31

We're not only eating less fruit and veg in total,

0:30:330:30:35

we're also eating more fruit than veg.

0:30:350:30:39

That could be bad news for our health,

0:30:390:30:41

since veg tends to have more essential vitamins and nutrients

0:30:410:30:44

than fresh fruit.

0:30:440:30:46

Nutritionist Shaleen Meelu wants us to get the balance right.

0:30:460:30:50

People often think, well, I've had my apple-a-day,

0:30:500:30:53

or I've had my banana-a-day.

0:30:530:30:55

What we're trying to aim for is variety and diversity

0:30:550:30:58

and to go for vegetable options, or pulses even count.

0:30:580:31:02

Dried fruit even counts.

0:31:020:31:05

People seem to be going, if they are going for anything,

0:31:050:31:08

for fruits generally, yes.

0:31:080:31:09

And I suppose the other thing with fruit

0:31:090:31:11

is that you can make it into juices like this,

0:31:110:31:14

which are a very convenient way,

0:31:140:31:15

and they certainly claim, a lot of them, to have one of the five-a-day.

0:31:150:31:18

And they do... They can count as up to one of your five-a-day,

0:31:180:31:21

but I wouldn't be drinking juices all the time,

0:31:210:31:25

especially as dentists have started observing acid erosion

0:31:250:31:29

due to excessive fruit and fruit juice consumption.

0:31:290:31:32

'Processing foods like the fruit in fruit juice drinks,

0:31:320:31:35

'or the veg in ready meals

0:31:350:31:37

'can lead to a loss of some of the nutrients

0:31:370:31:40

'locked up in fresh raw veg.'

0:31:400:31:43

The kind of things that we get from vegetables

0:31:430:31:45

will help our blood cells, will help cell growth, etc,

0:31:450:31:48

help us feel energetic.

0:31:480:31:50

That's why it's really important to get a diversity.

0:31:500:31:53

'Shaleen's thrown in some sweet potato, button mushrooms and pumpkin.

0:31:540:31:58

'Stir-frying it like this is a good way to cook it,

0:31:580:32:01

'as it locks in a lot of the goodness.

0:32:010:32:03

'Herbs and spices can be used to add extra taste.'

0:32:030:32:07

OK. On we go. Do you reckon there are a few of our five-a-day in this?

0:32:080:32:13

We're definitely getting there.

0:32:130:32:15

If we put it on a plate and had at least half of the plate full of veg,

0:32:150:32:19

a little bit of salad, that would at least be two to three portions.

0:32:190:32:24

And the point is that this is a way -

0:32:240:32:26

and it's very good - of eating more vegetables in particular.

0:32:260:32:30

And a variety of vegetables.

0:32:300:32:32

Definitely. And making it tasty.

0:32:330:32:35

I think a lot of the time people don't eat veg

0:32:350:32:38

because it's so...boring.

0:32:380:32:40

Eating more fruit than veg

0:32:450:32:47

is not only the wrong way to interpret the message,

0:32:470:32:50

it has also meant that British farmers have missed out

0:32:500:32:53

on the benefits that five-a-day could have given them.

0:32:530:32:56

The problem is that they can provide the veg we need,

0:32:560:32:59

but not the exotic fruit we've got a taste for.

0:32:590:33:02

Here in Lincolnshire,

0:33:020:33:04

Andrew Burgess runs one of the country's biggest suppliers

0:33:040:33:07

of fresh fruit and veg.

0:33:070:33:08

At the moment, the emphasis has been too much on fruit.

0:33:100:33:13

As a British grower, it's not actually helping us much,

0:33:130:33:16

because other than the soft fruit and some of the apples,

0:33:160:33:18

most of our stuff is imported.

0:33:180:33:21

Whereas, we're producing good, wholesome British vegetables

0:33:210:33:24

right here in Lincolnshire.

0:33:240:33:26

Five-a-day was never about improving the businesses for British growers.

0:33:260:33:29

It was about improving the health of the nation.

0:33:290:33:32

But obviously it is funded by the UK government

0:33:320:33:34

and we're UK citizens and we would like the campaign to help us

0:33:340:33:38

at the same time as helping the health of the nation.

0:33:380:33:41

For the sake of our health and our food growers,

0:33:420:33:45

shouldn't we just eat more fresh fruit and vegetables

0:33:450:33:48

and less of the processed stuff?

0:33:480:33:49

Well, Terry Jones thinks that rather than hijacking the message,

0:33:490:33:54

processed food manufacturers are simply helping us reach our quota.

0:33:540:33:57

I would encourage consumers to eat healthy diets.

0:33:590:34:03

And that means more fresh raw fruit and veg.

0:34:030:34:05

It means more fresh fruit and veg,

0:34:050:34:08

but it means if they can't get every portion of their five-a-day

0:34:080:34:11

from fresh fruit and veg,

0:34:110:34:12

it means that manufacturers are on hand to provide that missing...

0:34:120:34:16

Perhaps that one missing, or two missing portions,

0:34:160:34:18

every day through composite products.

0:34:180:34:20

This is about us trying to help consumers to make that change.

0:34:200:34:23

But their starting point with five-a-day

0:34:230:34:25

-should be the fresh raw stuff?

-Absolutely.

0:34:250:34:27

Simple. That's the message loud and clear.

0:34:290:34:31

Do we really need to be told what to eat?

0:34:350:34:38

Arguing either way about what qualifies precisely as five-a-day?

0:34:380:34:42

Surely it's down to the kind of common sense

0:34:420:34:46

your mum used to dish out with your meal -

0:34:460:34:49

make sure you eat those greens.

0:34:490:34:52

Think you know better than mum or dad?

0:34:520:34:55

Could you come up with a better slogan than five-a-day?

0:34:550:34:58

Then we'd like to hear from you.

0:34:580:35:00

Contact us via the Countryfile website

0:35:000:35:03

and let us have your slogans to get us all eating more fruit and veg.

0:35:030:35:07

Now, over in the Cotswolds, Adam's got his hands full.

0:35:140:35:17

This week he's finding out

0:35:170:35:18

how a glamorous multi-million dollar industry

0:35:180:35:21

could help improve the welfare of our pigs.

0:35:210:35:24

Come on then, to your babies. There's a good girl.

0:35:340:35:38

I've got four different breeds of pig on the farm.

0:35:380:35:41

This is the Kunekune, which is a New Zealand pig.

0:35:410:35:44

And then I've got a pig called an Iron Age,

0:35:440:35:46

which looks a little bit like a wild boar.

0:35:460:35:48

The Tamworth, which is a big ginger pig.

0:35:480:35:51

And then the Gloucestershire Old Spot.

0:35:520:35:54

And pigs, just like all other farm animals,

0:35:540:35:56

can suffer from lameness.

0:35:560:35:58

It doesn't matter whether they're large or small.

0:35:580:36:01

And they can get an infection in their foot,

0:36:010:36:04

this is known as a clee,

0:36:040:36:05

where they've got two toes, and they can get an infection there

0:36:050:36:08

that then needs treating with antibiotics.

0:36:080:36:10

They can get it in their joints,

0:36:100:36:12

and also, they can have slightly twisted legs,

0:36:120:36:15

which can cause lameness too.

0:36:150:36:16

And it can be a bit of a problem,

0:36:160:36:18

but it's something that farmers have to manage.

0:36:180:36:20

There you go. Go and get some breakfast.

0:36:200:36:23

This is one of my Tamworth sows, that has been a bit lame.

0:36:280:36:32

Let's give her some food.

0:36:320:36:34

There's your breakfast.

0:36:340:36:37

And on her toe here,

0:36:370:36:38

she had an infection.

0:36:380:36:40

When a pig or any animal gets lame,

0:36:400:36:42

you obviously need to treat it,

0:36:420:36:44

which takes up time and money from the farmer,

0:36:440:36:46

and it causes a huge discomfort to the animal.

0:36:460:36:50

And because of that discomfort,

0:36:500:36:51

it can affect the amount they eat, so they won't grow very well.

0:36:510:36:54

If it's a sow or a boar it can affect their fertility.

0:36:540:36:58

So, really, lameness is a major problem.

0:36:580:37:01

There are more than 400,000 sows in this country

0:37:020:37:06

and it's thought that about 5% of them are lame.

0:37:060:37:09

But thankfully, help is at hand,

0:37:090:37:12

from quite an unusual source - Hollywood.

0:37:120:37:15

How can blockbuster movies

0:37:230:37:24

like Avatar, The Matrix and Lord Of The Rings help a lame pig?

0:37:240:37:28

I'm off to Newcastle University to find out.

0:37:280:37:31

The first thing researcher and vet Sophia Stavrakakis and I have to do

0:37:380:37:41

is attach some reflectors to a pig.

0:37:410:37:44

I've been working with pigs all my life

0:37:450:37:47

and I've never had to put reflective stickers on them before.

0:37:470:37:50

Sophia, this looks pretty high-tech. What's going on here?

0:37:530:37:57

We're using this highly specialised camera system here

0:37:570:38:00

in order to prevent lameness in pig production.

0:38:000:38:03

And basically what we're doing is using 3D motion-capture technology

0:38:030:38:09

to measure movement, to measure gait in pigs.

0:38:090:38:12

And gait is the way it walks - its steps, really.

0:38:120:38:15

-Exactly.

-And that 3D movement technology

0:38:150:38:18

is the sort of stuff you would see in animation films?

0:38:180:38:21

There are actual Hollywood movies

0:38:210:38:23

that have been based on animation obtained from such camera systems.

0:38:230:38:27

And so, how do they work?

0:38:270:38:29

They emit infrared light, which is reflected by markers on the pig.

0:38:290:38:34

So those little dots on the pig are reflecting back.

0:38:340:38:37

-They're reflecting back to the cameras.

-OK.

0:38:370:38:39

-So shall we go and have a look at how it looks on the PC?

-Yeah.

0:38:390:38:43

Here we see the actual capture of the pig with the markers on.

0:38:430:38:48

-So, the markers moving through this space.

-Amazing.

0:38:480:38:51

So there's the reflective marks,

0:38:510:38:53

so that you can see the shape of the pig walking across.

0:38:530:38:56

And so, this is much more than the human eye could detect.

0:38:560:38:58

We're filming at a much greater frame rate

0:38:580:39:01

and this enables us to see more than the human eye would be able to see.

0:39:010:39:06

So, as a pig farmer,

0:39:060:39:07

when you're picking your females

0:39:070:39:09

from a herd that you might want to breed from,

0:39:090:39:11

you could potentially set up a camera,

0:39:110:39:14

walk the piglets through, and say,

0:39:140:39:17

look, those ones have got certain angles on their joints

0:39:170:39:20

that may cause them to be lame in the future.

0:39:200:39:22

And then you won't breed from it

0:39:220:39:24

and therefore, genetically,

0:39:240:39:26

you improve the ability of the pigs to move around?

0:39:260:39:29

Exactly, yeah.

0:39:290:39:30

So that would enable you to better select for breeding schemes.

0:39:300:39:34

It's very important for the pig industry.

0:39:340:39:36

When you think of pig farming,

0:39:360:39:38

you just think of smelly pigs and perhaps sausages and bacon,

0:39:380:39:41

but this technology is just extraordinary.

0:39:410:39:43

Yeah, isn't it? I think so too.

0:39:430:39:46

This research is in its infancy,

0:39:470:39:49

but Sophia hopes to create a computer model of a healthy pig

0:39:490:39:53

to use as a reference point to spot potential lameness in pigs.

0:39:530:39:57

Another area the university is tackling

0:40:010:40:03

is the welfare of sows in farrowing crates.

0:40:030:40:06

This is a typical pig maternity unit,

0:40:060:40:11

or farrowing shed, as it's known.

0:40:110:40:13

And, in the UK, we keep around 60% of our pigs indoors.

0:40:130:40:18

And so, these sows, the mothers,

0:40:180:40:21

would have been kept in straw yards

0:40:210:40:23

and then brought into these crates a week before they give birth.

0:40:230:40:28

And because the sow is so big and the piglets are so little,

0:40:280:40:32

one of the major causes of death in piglets

0:40:320:40:34

is the sow crushing the piglets.

0:40:340:40:37

And that's where the crate comes in.

0:40:370:40:39

It restrains the sow, so that when she lies down

0:40:390:40:42

she can't flop down sideways and squash them underneath

0:40:420:40:46

and the piglets have a safe haven to go.

0:40:460:40:48

And in the UK, there are some people who feel

0:40:500:40:52

that this system still isn't ideal,

0:40:520:40:56

so here at Newcastle University, they've developed an alternative.

0:40:560:41:00

By understanding pig behaviour, and the needs of a sow,

0:41:000:41:04

the research team have designed a new farrowing pen.

0:41:040:41:06

I'm meeting head stock man, Darren Bloomfield, to find out more.

0:41:060:41:09

-Darren, good to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

-So where are these pigs?

0:41:090:41:12

-Round the corner.

-Let's go and have a look.

0:41:120:41:14

Darren, why did we need to come up with a new design?

0:41:210:41:24

This design has been put together by Newcastle University

0:41:240:41:27

and the Scottish Agricultural College in order to cater

0:41:270:41:29

more for the welfare of the sow as well as the piglets.

0:41:290:41:32

The piglets are, of course, important but the sow has her needs as well

0:41:320:41:35

and her behavioural needs are met more with this particular system.

0:41:350:41:38

So how does it work, then?

0:41:380:41:39

Well, we want the sow to use specific areas in the pen.

0:41:390:41:42

We have the nesting area here with straw in it.

0:41:420:41:44

When she starts to get ready to farrow,

0:41:440:41:46

she'll require the need to bed-make, so she'll come into this area and

0:41:460:41:49

start carrying some straw around and she'll start bed-making in this area.

0:41:490:41:54

We also need a specific toilet area.

0:41:540:41:55

She'll come out here to defecate and urinate

0:41:550:41:58

and keep her bedding as clean as possible.

0:41:580:41:59

-There's also water out there so she can drink.

-What's this board here?

0:41:590:42:03

-What's that about?

-The sloping board is key to the design, really.

0:42:030:42:06

The biggest problem, if we just had a right-angled wall here

0:42:060:42:09

and the sow went to lay down, she'd go down against the wall

0:42:090:42:11

and the piglets would be squashed underneath her.

0:42:110:42:14

By putting this sloping board in,

0:42:140:42:15

the sow will actually slide down the board, the piglets will

0:42:150:42:18

disappear under there, they won't be crushed

0:42:180:42:20

and they'll come out of the ends and they'll be perfectly safe.

0:42:200:42:23

In the UK, we always seem to be a step ahead of the game.

0:42:230:42:25

Our legislation on animal welfare is a lot better than other countries, isn't it?

0:42:250:42:29

Yes, it is and I'm proud to be a British pig farmer, really.

0:42:290:42:32

What we try and do,

0:42:320:42:33

we try and come up with solutions before we need them.

0:42:330:42:36

This is an alternative

0:42:360:42:37

and pig farmers all around the world are all coming to look at this

0:42:370:42:40

sort of design and thinking maybe this is the way forward in the future.

0:42:400:42:44

I'm not sure this piglet will ever make the dizzy heights

0:42:520:42:55

of Hollywood, but it's great that farming is embracing new technologies

0:42:550:42:59

and developments all the time and even as a small-scale pig farmer

0:42:590:43:03

I'm warmed by the fact that our pig industry is in good hands.

0:43:030:43:06

Do you want to go back to your mum? PIGLET SQUEALS

0:43:060:43:09

Next week, I'll be in the Forest of Dean,

0:43:090:43:13

learning about the ancient art of sheep hefting.

0:43:130:43:16

Back on the South Downs, I'm off to find out

0:43:250:43:27

about a local agricultural revolution.

0:43:270:43:31

It's something that's changing the face of the countryside around here.

0:43:310:43:34

Believe it or not, this rather romantic stretch of road,

0:43:340:43:37

the A272, is what is now becoming known as England's wine trail.

0:43:370:43:41

Where better to start than one of Britain's first modern commercial vineyards?

0:43:430:43:48

The Romans and medieval monks made wine in the UK,

0:43:500:43:53

but the story of commercial wine production here is much more recent.

0:43:530:43:58

Hambledon Vineyard on the southern edges of the Downs helped

0:43:590:44:03

transform English winemaking when it opened in 1952.

0:44:030:44:06

Footage from 1981 shows just how much interest this venture generated.

0:44:080:44:13

Experts from winemaking countries abroad have paid us very great

0:44:130:44:19

and flattering compliments.

0:44:190:44:22

Bill Carcary ran the vineyard from the 1960s

0:44:220:44:24

until his retirement in 1995.

0:44:240:44:27

What was the reaction to having grapes grown here?

0:44:270:44:31

The villagers, they thought we were mad.

0:44:310:44:34

English wine had got a very bad press.

0:44:340:44:36

Mainly it was apple wines and things like that.

0:44:360:44:39

When they started making wine with the grapes,

0:44:390:44:42

people came from miles around to see it.

0:44:420:44:45

How were things done differently back then to how they're done now?

0:44:450:44:49

Harvesting is the main difference.

0:44:490:44:51

Local villagers came up and picked them into small baskets and they

0:44:510:44:56

were all transported on a wheelbarrow and straight up round to the winery.

0:44:560:45:02

The grapes were crushed then and then put in the press.

0:45:020:45:05

It was a hand press with a fair amount of pressure put on

0:45:050:45:09

to get the juice out.

0:45:090:45:11

And it's not just the process that's changed since those days.

0:45:110:45:15

If you'd come to an English vineyard 15 years ago,

0:45:150:45:18

they'd most likely be growing German grapes like Riesling

0:45:180:45:21

for still wine, but now things are quite different.

0:45:210:45:24

Today's vineyards are fizzing...

0:45:260:45:29

..for chalky soils here in the South Downs have similarities to

0:45:310:45:34

the Champagne region of France.

0:45:340:45:36

That means you can grow Pinot Noir, Chardonnay

0:45:360:45:39

and Pinot Meunier grapes -

0:45:390:45:41

the key ingredients for upmarket sparkling wine.

0:45:410:45:44

From Hambledon, I'm moving on to one of the UK's newest vineyards,

0:45:460:45:50

Hattingly Valley.

0:45:500:45:52

Owner Simon Robinson began turning arable land over to vines

0:45:520:45:56

four years ago, but this year he's been hit hard by one of the worst

0:45:560:45:59

summers for a hundred years.

0:45:590:46:01

So how does the business model for grapes differ from traditional farming?

0:46:010:46:06

Grapes and making wine are much longer term investment,

0:46:060:46:11

a much bigger investment. And this year, I have to say, has been a terrible harvest.

0:46:110:46:17

-Oh, yeah.

-Absolutely awful.

-Yes, we're squelching here, aren't we?

0:46:170:46:20

Awful harvest. A lot of people have lost everything.

0:46:200:46:24

We simply didn't have the sunshine and the heat.

0:46:240:46:27

A lot of grapes simply didn't manage to mature enough

0:46:270:46:29

and you can see on the vine over here, these are Chardonnay,

0:46:290:46:34

and they're still pretty hard.

0:46:340:46:35

So have you got enough even to go into production or is this

0:46:350:46:38

just a write-off year for you?

0:46:380:46:40

No, it's not a write-off year, we are in production,

0:46:400:46:42

-but not nearly at the levels that we would have hoped.

-Right.

0:46:420:46:46

While some vineyards scrapped their harvest this year,

0:46:460:46:49

Simon did send in the pickers to salvage what

0:46:490:46:51

they could just before a cold snap a few weeks ago.

0:46:510:46:54

Consultant winemaker Emma Rice takes the grapes from vine to glass.

0:46:560:47:00

So is all of this just for the grapes that are grown here?

0:47:010:47:05

No, we have partner vineyards from all over the country.

0:47:050:47:07

In Hampshire, we're quite central,

0:47:070:47:09

so we have client vineyards in Dorset through to Kent.

0:47:090:47:12

Wow, what is this? This is an enormous piece of kit.

0:47:120:47:15

This is our press - it takes between four

0:47:150:47:17

and five tonnes of whole bunches of grapes.

0:47:170:47:20

-With stalks and everything?

-With stalks and everything.

0:47:200:47:22

It's very important with the traditional method, sparkling wine process

0:47:220:47:27

that you keep the bunches intact as long as possible.

0:47:270:47:30

Crushing whole great bunches helps the initial

0:47:300:47:33

fermentation in these huge steel tanks and after just a few weeks,

0:47:330:47:37

the juice is already starting to develop a flavour.

0:47:370:47:41

It's not unpleasant, is it, but it's quite sour?

0:47:410:47:43

It's basically come to the end of its fermentation,

0:47:430:47:46

so all of the sugar has now been fermented and turned into alcohol,

0:47:460:47:50

so you're left with the alcohol and the acidity.

0:47:500:47:53

For a sparkling wine that's going to be aged for quite some time,

0:47:530:47:56

it's quite important to maintain a high level of acidity,

0:47:560:47:59

so it can last through the ageing process.

0:47:590:48:02

After eight months in the tanks, the wine is bottled

0:48:020:48:05

and left for another two to three years to go through a second

0:48:050:48:08

fermentation when those all-important bubbles form.

0:48:080:48:12

Now the good stuff!

0:48:120:48:13

So here we have a 2010 -

0:48:140:48:17

this was the very first harvest from our own vineyards.

0:48:170:48:19

-So it's quite a significant bottle?

-Very significant bottle, yes.

0:48:190:48:22

It's not been released yet, so this is a special exclusive.

0:48:220:48:25

-Exclusive for Countryfile. Oh, wow! That looks amazing. Cheers.

-Cheers.

0:48:250:48:31

-Very nice.

-Thank you.

-Very, very nice.

0:48:370:48:39

I could stay here and party all day with this.

0:48:390:48:41

-Well, we've got 65,000 bottles next door.

-Perfect.

0:48:410:48:46

If you're after something sparkling this Christmas,

0:48:530:48:56

then we've got just the thing - the Countryfile calendar for 2013

0:48:560:49:00

made up of all the winning entries from this year's photographic competition.

0:49:000:49:04

Here's John with all the details.

0:49:040:49:06

The Countryfile calendar has been raising

0:49:060:49:09

lots of money for the BBC's Children In Need appeal for more than

0:49:090:49:12

a decade now and for the 2013 edition,

0:49:120:49:16

we had a fantastic number of amazing photographs sent in by viewers to choose from.

0:49:160:49:21

So if you want these beautiful shots on your wall

0:49:210:49:24

next year, you can order a copy right now, either on our website,

0:49:240:49:28

that's...

0:49:280:49:29

..or by calling the order line on...

0:49:310:49:33

To order by post, send your name, address and cheque to...

0:49:450:49:48

..and please make your cheques payable to BBC Countryfile Calendar.

0:49:560:50:01

Remember, the calendar costs £9

0:50:010:50:03

and at least £4 from every sale will go to Children In Need.

0:50:030:50:07

You'll find all the information and more on our website.

0:50:080:50:12

Now it's time for the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.

0:50:120:50:16

.

0:52:500:52:57

This week we're in the South Downs,

0:53:080:53:10

where I've been leafing through the life and work of Gilbert White,

0:53:100:53:14

one of our earliest naturalists who lived here in the 1700s.

0:53:140:53:17

While Gilbert's main passion was observing his natural

0:53:190:53:22

surroundings, like many animal lovers, he also had pets.

0:53:220:53:25

One of them was particularly charismatic -

0:53:250:53:28

he was called Timothy and he was a tortoise.

0:53:280:53:33

Now Gilbert was an inquisitive gent,

0:53:330:53:35

so an exotic pet like Timothy was an obvious subject for investigation.

0:53:350:53:41

Ronnie Davidson-Houston is a Gilbert White enthusiast.

0:53:410:53:44

Timothy was really one of his best friends.

0:53:440:53:47

'I'm meeting him to find out what Gilbert discovered about his treasured tortoise.'

0:53:470:53:51

And what work did he do with him then,

0:53:510:53:53

because he put him through various tests, I understand?

0:53:530:53:56

Yes, yes, really people knew very little about tortoises,

0:53:560:53:59

so he shouted at him through an ear trumpet to see if Timothy could hear.

0:53:590:54:03

-Any reaction?

-Apparently not, no.

0:54:030:54:05

He dumped him in a bucket of water to see if he could swim,

0:54:050:54:11

and he couldn't and poor Timothy must've been so distressed,

0:54:110:54:14

but he was not a turtle.

0:54:140:54:16

One should say "her" because Timothy was found out later to be a she,

0:54:180:54:22

but it's much easier to say "he".

0:54:220:54:23

Timothy, the female tortoise,

0:54:250:54:27

became a mischievous resident of Gilbert's home.

0:54:270:54:31

In one of his letters, Gilbert referred to Timothy as,

0:54:310:54:34

"So old a domestic who behaved himself in

0:54:340:54:37

"so blameless a manner in the family for nearly 50 years."

0:54:370:54:41

Timothy had a roguish habit of escaping from his garden home.

0:54:420:54:46

One jaunt took him out into the nearby farmland only to be

0:54:460:54:49

discovered several days later, which has given me an idea.

0:54:490:54:54

Well, we're going to have a go at recreating one of Gilbert's

0:54:560:54:59

many quests to find his tortoise.

0:54:590:55:02

Now, sadly, Timothy has long since left this world so we have a stunt

0:55:020:55:05

stand-in, Saffy, on her last outing before hibernation,

0:55:050:55:10

so I'll pop you in there

0:55:100:55:12

and it's over to the search party that are ready and waiting.

0:55:120:55:17

Saffy will, of course, be supervised on her adventure

0:55:170:55:20

and to find her, a bunch of keen treasure hunters will follow the clues.

0:55:200:55:24

The first is on a plastic tortoise in the veg patch.

0:55:240:55:27

Ronnie's in character to provide some expert knowledge

0:55:290:55:32

and my two kids have come along to join in the fun.

0:55:320:55:35

Here comes the first question...

0:55:350:55:37

-..where did Gilbert White's love of the natural world come from?

-The garden.

0:55:410:55:48

The garden! Very good. So, everyone, to the garden, go!

0:55:480:55:52

Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick!

0:55:520:55:54

-It's here.

-You got it?

-That.

0:56:020:56:05

We've got it.

0:56:050:56:07

Right, next clue - "Find the spot where

0:56:070:56:11

"I like to look out" from Gilbert White.

0:56:110:56:14

-It's exhausting, this.

-CHILDREN SHOUT

0:56:160:56:19

-Hello, everyone.

-Sorry we're late. Little legs.

0:56:260:56:30

What's the next clue, Gilbert?

0:56:300:56:32

Ah, that's another tortoise and that's in one of my favourite

0:56:320:56:35

bits of the garden, called the Six Quarters, behind the hedge there.

0:56:350:56:40

-Go for it!

-Oh, right.

0:56:400:56:41

-Let's have another look here.

-No.

0:56:480:56:51

-This one's not plastic.

-It's real.

-Oh, Saffy.

-Fantastic.

0:56:550:57:00

-Well done, everyone.

-Yeah, good hunting.

0:57:000:57:02

Give yourselves a round of applause.

0:57:020:57:04

Oh, wow! Let's have a look.

0:57:060:57:08

Saffy's adventure has come to an end -

0:57:100:57:12

an award-winning performance as Timothy, the real star of the show.

0:57:120:57:16

Well, that is the end of the treasure hunt

0:57:160:57:19

and the end of the programme.

0:57:190:57:20

Next week, we'll be on the South Gloucestershire border

0:57:200:57:23

behind the scenes at one of our top dressage stables,

0:57:230:57:26

and what does it take to keep one of Britain's oldest trees healthy?

0:57:260:57:29

We'll be finding out. Hope you can join us then.

0:57:290:57:32

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0:57:530:57:57

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