0:00:28 > 0:00:31The magnificent grounds of Blenheim Palace
0:00:31 > 0:00:34is the setting for a very special event...
0:00:40 > 0:00:43..the first ever Countryfile Live -
0:00:43 > 0:00:47a huge country extravaganza brought to you by the Countryfile team.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Yes, we are going to be celebrating the very best that
0:00:50 > 0:00:51the British countryside has to offer.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54We're going to be showing you around Countryfile Live
0:00:54 > 0:00:57and giving you an exclusive look behind the scenes.
0:00:57 > 0:01:00The whole gang is here to bring you the very best of Countryfile Live.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Tom and Adam go head-to-head in a test of strength and stamina.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14John's watching the feathers fly...
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Shall we let the first ones go?
0:01:16 > 0:01:17Absolutely. Let's do it.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Off you go, boys and girls.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25..Anita's on the trail of some venerable trees...
0:01:25 > 0:01:28You're looking around at trees that have been here
0:01:28 > 0:01:29before America was even discovered.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31It just sort of takes your breath away
0:01:31 > 0:01:33when you think about that this place existed.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37..and Charlotte's looking at what Brexit might mean for
0:01:37 > 0:01:42famous British foods currently protected under European law.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45So, please, take your seats as we welcome you
0:01:45 > 0:01:47to have a look around Countryfile Live.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49CHEERING
0:01:59 > 0:02:01This is Countryfile Live,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05our very own take on the traditional country show -
0:02:05 > 0:02:09a dazzling jamboree brought to you from the grounds of Blenheim Palace
0:02:09 > 0:02:12where we'll be showcasing the very best of British rural life.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18This is the first time we've ever tried anything on this scale,
0:02:18 > 0:02:22so it's fantastic to see so many people here.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25We'll be bringing you all the highlights
0:02:25 > 0:02:28and giving you exclusive views from behind the scenes,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and there's plenty to see and do.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Well, you can get a pretty good idea of what things look like
0:02:34 > 0:02:36from up here, so we've got lots of farming,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39we've got lots of food, we've got craft stalls, country sports,
0:02:39 > 0:02:43and this area here, well, this is going to be a live stage show.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48What a beautiful day here at Blenheim Palace.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Yes! That's more like it.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53And if you need to wet the whistle, maybe have a light refreshment,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55if you follow this avenue down here, turn right,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59you will find the Craven Arms. Fantastic.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04There are 750 exhibitors from the length and breadth of the country -
0:03:04 > 0:03:1044 different breeds of farm animal, 280 farmers, 130 food producers
0:03:10 > 0:03:15and more than 1,000 bales of hay spread out over the 85 acre site.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20But what's gone into planning Countryfile Live?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Matt's with John Hoy, Chief Executive of Blenheim Palace
0:03:23 > 0:03:24who are hosting us at the show.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Well, John, you just must be relieved
0:03:27 > 0:03:30that this thing is finally up and running and it's happening.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Two years in the making and it's been such a long journey,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35with such brilliant people, such great partnership working,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38and as you say, everyone's here having a lovely time.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Do you know what? It's one of those things where you wonder
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and you hope it's going to be all right on the day,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and I am massively impressed with what's here.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I mean, the array of stuff, and the experience that people can have
0:03:49 > 0:03:53when they come here, I mean, it's pretty endless, isn't it?
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Well, I think given the love they've got for the programme
0:03:55 > 0:03:57and how many watch it every week,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59the fact that they can come and now touch it
0:03:59 > 0:04:02and feel it and sense it and smell it, I think it's brilliant. Yes.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03And there is, as you say, so much variety.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07Everyone who loves the countryside will find something to do.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Well, we are surrounded here by farming,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23food and the very best of British produce.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26But given that some of our most famous British products like
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Welsh lamb and Cornish pasties are protected under European law,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34what happens when we leave the EU? Well, Charlotte's been finding out.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48I'm not just sitting around eating, honest.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Although, I really wouldn't mind if this were my lunch.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53We have the best of British here.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56From Stilton cheese to Melton Mowbray pork pies
0:04:56 > 0:04:58and West Country farmhouse cheddar
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and to wash it all down, some Kentish ale.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03These are just some of the foods produced here in Britain
0:05:03 > 0:05:06which are protected by EU laws.
0:05:06 > 0:05:10So how important are those laws to the people who produce these foods?
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And what would it mean for us, the consumers, if those laws are lost?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19It's called the protected food name scheme
0:05:19 > 0:05:23and it ensures under European law that certified foods
0:05:23 > 0:05:28can only be made in a certain way and in certain places.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31For Richard Enderby here in Grimsby, membership of the scheme
0:05:31 > 0:05:34is invaluable protection against copycat produces.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Well, I've been here 40 years.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Yeah. And the building is 100 years old.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47Right. But this process that we do is unchanged for 150 years.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Really? And is that important?
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Well, yeah, that's what we're all about.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55The majority of smoked fish these days is kiln smoked,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57which is quite a different process.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00People will assume that it's perhaps been smoked in
0:06:00 > 0:06:03a smokehouse like this, where actually it's done in a big oven.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So, for you, it's more about protecting your product
0:06:06 > 0:06:08than promoting it?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11The whole line... the quality of fish we use,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14we just use a natural brine, not a colour brine,
0:06:14 > 0:06:19that's smoked for a minimum of 12 hours, up to 18 hours,
0:06:19 > 0:06:20depending on the time of year,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24where a kiln-smoked is in and out in three or four hours.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27We're sort of a very niche product and people need to understand that
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and the fact that it takes more work to produce.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31Have you ever used it?
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Have you ever had to say to somebody, "You can't say that is
0:06:34 > 0:06:37"Grimsby traditional smoked because it isn't"? Oh, yeah.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Not only do you have people pretending
0:06:40 > 0:06:42that it's Grimsby traditionally smoked fish,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45I've known cases where they've pretended it was
0:06:45 > 0:06:47Enderby's Grimsby traditionally smoked fish.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51That's why it needs to be policed very carefully.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53And I think that's again where the government comes in
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and Trading Standards.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59They've got to be on top of this and sort of be quite vigilant
0:06:59 > 0:07:01that this sort of thing isn't going on.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Richard's fish is one of 72 protected food names here in the UK,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11alongside famous names like Scotch whisky,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Cornish clotted cream and Stilton cheese.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19The scheme also includes some foods you may not be so familiar with.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24Things like Fenland celery, Kent Golding hops or Teviotdale cheese.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25These regional specialities tell
0:07:25 > 0:07:28the story of Britain's culinary heritage,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31so wouldn't the quality speak for itself
0:07:31 > 0:07:34even if they were to lose EU protection?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Guess where I am?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39The small Leicestershire town of Melton got protection for
0:07:39 > 0:07:41the Melton Mowbray pork pie.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Now off the back of that they've developed a pie festival,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46a cheese festival and a food festival.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52They now reckon that food tourism is worth ?70 million a year.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55So they really don't want to lose that protected status.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59The food we enjoy in these islands is as diverse
0:07:59 > 0:08:00as the landscape itself.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03And in these parts, it's Matthew O'Callaghan
0:08:03 > 0:08:07who's helping to protect Britain's most famous pie.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So what have these geographical protections given you?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12What difference have they made? There's two things.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15One is it means that the recipe is protected.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18So it guarantees that what people buy
0:08:18 > 0:08:20is a genuine Melton Mowbray pork pie.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23The other thing it does is to protect the production
0:08:23 > 0:08:24to a particular area.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25And for us in Melton Mowbray,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28that is an important part of our rural economy.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So in a couple of years' time when we come out of the
0:08:30 > 0:08:33European Union, you could lose this scheme.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Would you like a new scheme or just this one brought over?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I think we'd like something new and there's no reason why
0:08:38 > 0:08:42the UK scheme would not be recognised within the EU.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44For example, Columbian coffee -
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Columbia has its own scheme and the European scheme recognises
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Columbian coffee as a protected food name within Europe.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53There will be lots of people who really don't see the point,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56does it really matter exactly how the pie is made?
0:08:56 > 0:08:57It does matter.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01You're linking a product with an area, with a heritage,
0:09:01 > 0:09:05with a way of producing that pie that's been made for 100, 200 years.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10UK protected food names are worth over ?1 billion.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13They're extremely important in terms of exports.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16They're extremely important in terms of jobs in a locality.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Not only do we have Melton Mowbray pork pies in this area worth
0:09:19 > 0:09:2360 million, we have Stilton cheese, again worth another 60 million.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26Those are a lot of jobs in this area,
0:09:26 > 0:09:28so it is important for small rural areas.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It hasn't all been plain sailing.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34The scheme's hit the headlines a number of times.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36High street giants Greggs
0:09:36 > 0:09:40were famously forced to change the name of their Cornish pasty after
0:09:40 > 0:09:45the Cornish Pasty Association won their protection in 2011.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50And that same legal clout can be invaluable to small producers.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53It's the only thing stopping people putting
0:09:53 > 0:09:58"Grimsby traditionally smoked fish" on a box of kiln-smoked fish is
0:09:58 > 0:10:00the fact that it's a protected name.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03Matthew O'Callaghan agrees.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07If the scheme's lost, it's customers who could lose out.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10What I think will happen is that people will make cheaper products,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13imitations. The customer actually is going to be deceived.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16The other thing is I think we will lose an important part
0:10:16 > 0:10:17of our food heritage.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And that's really important because not only is it the heritage
0:10:20 > 0:10:23but it's the skills, for example, cheese making,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26pie making, that go into producing these iconic foods.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30But not everyone thinks these changes will be a disaster.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Later on I'll be meeting the producers who see real opportunities
0:10:33 > 0:10:35on the road ahead.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49Back at Countryfile Live and Matt's got a thirst on.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Does anyone want a drink? ALL: Yeah!
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Apparently the drinks are on the landlord.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59John, can I have 250 pints of the finest and a packet of crisps?
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Better have a big chequebook.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Don't believe anybody when they say it's free.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06John, is this everything you would have hoped for in your own pub,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08the Craven Arms?
0:11:08 > 0:11:12It is. If only for a few days to have a pub of my own.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Listen... Be very careful. ..I'm going to drink to that.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Do you know what I've always wanted to say behind a bar like this?
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Get out of ma pub!
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Don't think much of the landlord. Only joking. I'll see you later.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33We're here in the grounds of Blenheim Place,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36setting for our first ever Countryfile Live -
0:11:36 > 0:11:39a celebration of the best of the British countryside,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42bringing together people from all walks of rural life.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Countryfile Live is one the most ambitious country shows ever staged.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55So join me for an exclusive peek behind the scenes.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14One of the highlights of Countryfile Live is the heavy horse display.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18Magnificent animals, always hugely popular with the crowds,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21and I'm heading behind the arena for a close up look.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Back here, there is stabling for 20 horses
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and they'll be appearing here over the next four days.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31I'm here to meet the only six shire horse team in the country
0:12:31 > 0:12:34belonging to Elspeth. Here we go. Hi, Elspeth. Hello.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37Can I give you a hand? We haven't got long till the arena.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38Not long at all. What can I do?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Would you like to put this chain through the carrier at the back?
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Yeah. It's heavy, isn't it? What incredibly heavy kit they wear.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46It's outstanding. Yeah, it's got to be heavy for them
0:12:46 > 0:12:48to pull the heavy drays. There we go.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50How long does it take to get set up? Erm...
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Well, it's lots of hours beforehand, but on the day,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56probably an hour and a half to harness up.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58If you'd like to put the ribbon on his tail for me.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Just around the tail?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Just round here and then nice neat bow. At the very top.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Oh, good boy.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12What a lot of kit.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Come on, then.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16'Well, that's Harvey dressed to impress.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19'And his pals look pretty good too.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21'A magnificent sight.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24'The only six horse team of shires in the country.'
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Centre stage at the food court,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30celebrity chefs are cooking up a storm.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34But I want to meet the hidden army of backstage helpers
0:13:34 > 0:13:35who keep the show on the boil.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39With access all areas,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I'm following my nose now cos there's some interesting
0:13:41 > 0:13:44delightful smells coming from backstage.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45It's not quite showtime yet.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Look, this is pretty sparkling clean in here.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Nearly showtime, Victoria. You're busy back here. Hello.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53How you doing? Yes. Good, thank you. Yeah, very busy.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Do you want to get involved? Yeah, what can I do?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59If you could grate this cucumber, please, on this side.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02This is for a lamb dish for Brian later on.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Not many people know about your job - it's a home economist.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Home economist, yeah. What does that involve?
0:14:07 > 0:14:11So we're responsible for getting everything ready for the live
0:14:11 > 0:14:15demonstrations that are happening during the course of the day.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Cos people see TV chefs and they don't realise they have
0:14:17 > 0:14:20all this wonderful help in the background.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Yeah, it's very much... The unsung heroes of the day.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Behind the scenes, yeah, absolutely.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I mean, sometimes they give us a shoutout to show their appreciation,
0:14:27 > 0:14:29but, yeah, it's absolutely behind the scenes.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32That's quite nice. We can just get on with it.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35I think it's about time they were celebrated for this hard work.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Food is a big hit with the crowds, but one of the biggest draws
0:14:39 > 0:14:42of Countryfile Live is a spectacular live show...
0:14:45 > 0:14:48..a dazzling look at the countryside through the changing seasons.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51There's colour, costumes,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55dizzying acrobatics and the odd familiar face.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Applause for Anita and John. Thank you, everybody.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00You're about to get in this fabulous combine harvester.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Are you feeling nervous? You're going into the big arena.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04I've never been on a combine harvester.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Adam's been on a few, haven't you? He'll be all right.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10'Yup, all us Countryfile presenters take their turn in the arena.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'The show has been created by Cirque Bijou.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17'I'm catching up with their Creative Director Julian Bracey.'
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Amazing set, all this, isn't it? The incredible sun.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Yeah, we had this sun made just for this weekend,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24just in case it wasn't actually sunny.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26But now we've got glorious sunshine. Don't even need it.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28But it's looking good.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31How do you then translate Countryfile the programme
0:15:31 > 0:15:33into Countryfile the big show on stage?
0:15:33 > 0:15:35What was your brief?
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Well, just to try and include a little bit of everything
0:15:37 > 0:15:38that's in the programme.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41And to keep it fun and quite a big family show.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44So we just wanted to create a bit of spectacle, so there's
0:15:44 > 0:15:46another element to the whole festival.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49I'm looking forward to this bit.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'I'm meeting champion beatboxer Grace Savage
0:15:52 > 0:15:54'whose only instrument is her mouth.'
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Hello. Into your office. Welcome. Thanks very much.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01You are perhaps the most surprising part of the Countryfile show.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03We've got a beatboxer. Yes. And that's...
0:16:03 > 0:16:05'Grace beatboxes to accompany the show.'
0:16:05 > 0:16:08SHE BAAS
0:16:08 > 0:16:10She can do sheep and even elephants.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13SHE TRUMPETS
0:16:15 > 0:16:18And then I'll put a beat behind it.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19UPBEAT MUSIC STARTS
0:16:21 > 0:16:22SHE BEATBOXES
0:16:25 > 0:16:26BAAING
0:16:27 > 0:16:30BAAING
0:16:30 > 0:16:32That's amazing.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35TRUMPETING
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Elephant at the end. That is amazing.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39And that was just a quick demo for us.
0:16:39 > 0:16:40Just a little demo, yeah.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43This is something new for the Countryfile audience. Good.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48And holding the whole menagerie together is farmer for the day
0:16:48 > 0:16:50actor Richard Headen.
0:16:50 > 0:16:52The crowd's really enjoying it.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Yeah, it's probably not what they expected.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57I don't think it's what any of us expected.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59That's what so enjoyable about it is the surprise element...
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I think so. ..the fact there's some modern touches there.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Blenheim Palace is the perfect backdrop for Countryfile Live.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28The grounds were laid out in the 18th century by Capability Brown,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Britain's most famous landscape designer.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34This genius of the picturesque
0:17:34 > 0:17:38planted trees to picture-frame his views and guide the eye.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46More than two centuries on and these now mature beauties still do
0:17:46 > 0:17:50exactly as their designer intended because this place is magical.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56But old Capability could never have foreseen the role his woods
0:17:56 > 0:17:59would play here at Countryfile Live.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02They've become a paradise for children playing,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04learning and gaining confidence in nature.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08That's it. Nice steady speed. Keep coming.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10I'll tell you if you go too fast.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17But away from the showground, at a secret site on the estate,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21his 200 acres of astonishing woodland.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Fenced off a millennium ago for King Henry I's private hunting
0:18:26 > 0:18:31pleasure, the woods have remained untouched by man ever since
0:18:31 > 0:18:36and hidden deep within are 800 massive and ancient oaks.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Magnificent, isn't it?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Some of these trees are more than 1,000 years old.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49There are more ancient oaks here than anywhere else on Earth,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and they command our respect.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59These woods are strictly off limits, except for today.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Follow me into the enchanted forest.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Once a year, foresters Christian Halbert and Nick Baimbridge
0:19:09 > 0:19:12fight their way through the chest-high bracken
0:19:12 > 0:19:14to perform health checks on the oldest trees.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Made it. Anita. Lovely to see you.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Hi. I'm Nick. Hi, Nick. Hey, how you doing? Hey.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Good to see you. You too.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Wow! What a place! Yes, a little gem.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27Isn't this incredible?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I mean, it just sort of takes your breath away when you think about
0:19:30 > 0:19:32that this place existed.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35You're looking around at trees that have been here
0:19:35 > 0:19:37before America was even discovered.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41It's just left to its own, just hidden, nothing's touched.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43So what are we here to do?
0:19:43 > 0:19:45I know you guys have got your kit. Yep.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48We're here surveying the oaks, checking on the condition of them,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51checking that they're not dying back,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54looking at different fungus and fruiting bodies on there and
0:19:54 > 0:19:58looking at work that we need to do to keep them going, keep them alive.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00'One tree that Nick and Christian
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'really need to check is the so-called King Oak,
0:20:03 > 0:20:07'not the oldest, but one of the finest of the ancient oaks here.'
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Wow, let me just take this beast in!
0:20:10 > 0:20:12SHE GASPS
0:20:12 > 0:20:15That is incredible.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17'But how old is this tree?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'We can't take a look at tree rings, so a tape measure around
0:20:20 > 0:20:24'the belly is needed to establish the age of this portly monarch.'
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Gah, this one's enormous!
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Right, what have we got? Nine metres.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Yes, so how old is that?
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Nine metres would put this tree at over 900 years old.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Fantastic.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Well, they say an oak tree spends 300 years growing,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45300 years living and then spends the last 300 years dying back,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and it is inevitable, but there are others that will take over,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51and as long as we can keep it going, the better.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54'900 years is a remarkable lifespan,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'but there are trees here that are even older.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00'To give them the best chance of survival, Nick and Christian
0:21:00 > 0:21:02'remove young trees nearby that would
0:21:02 > 0:21:04'steal their light and nutrients.'
0:21:05 > 0:21:08So this looks like it needs to come out fairly urgently.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11This ash tree is actually growing right through the canopy
0:21:11 > 0:21:13and shading off this side of the tree.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17It's only going to get taller. Pop that on. Thank you. Absolutely.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33There she goes.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35CREAKING
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Good job, Nick, that was super swift. Doesn't take long.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41And in the meantime, you've cleared up the...
0:21:41 > 0:21:43Yes, it's got us light. It's got the light.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46And it can carry on for another 200 years. Yeah. Good job, boys.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53That these oaks have escaped the axe is little short of a miracle.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57To be among the these age-old giants is an extraordinary
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and humbling feeling. Magical.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Back at the showground, and Matt's with some friends in the Dog Arena.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16COMMENTARY ON TANNOY
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Well, one of the focuses of Countryfile Live is of course
0:22:19 > 0:22:22man's best friend, and one of MY good friends is Peter Purvis.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25Hi, Matt. It's always lovely to see you, Peter. And you, mate.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27You're looking after the whole dog ring section here for us.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Yeah, we have got an arena with everything.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32These are just three of the exhibits that we're showing.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33These are rare breeds.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36This is an otterhound, it's got no function any more,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38so you wonder how they manage to exist at all.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41We've got a little Sealyham terrier here. Hello down there.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45This is a ratter, proper terrier, working. Keep the barns clean.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48This one's a clumber spaniel, again, very different from
0:22:48 > 0:22:51the show clumber, these are very fit, good working dogs.
0:22:51 > 0:22:52Absolutely. A good gundog.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55And really, the focus of the dogs here at Countryfile Live,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58this is about dogs with jobs, working dogs. Exactly that.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00And also, people coming here,
0:23:00 > 0:23:02they've got training tips and all that,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and in the ring, if you brought your own dog here,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07you can take it in there, you get training tips.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10"I've got a dog that pulls on the lead." "We'll fix it." It's great.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12We've got a wonderful dog display team as well,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15the Essex Dog Display Team, we've got some great stuff going on.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18You're in your element, then, Peter. Oh, I'm loving it, loving it!
0:23:18 > 0:23:20It's fantastic. See, everybody hanging on
0:23:20 > 0:23:23your every word, Peter, even the otterhound.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34We've been hearing that Britain's protected foods could be
0:23:34 > 0:23:38at risk if the laws surrounding them change when we leave Europe.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41But for some producers, a relaxing of the rules could be
0:23:41 > 0:23:44a real benefit, as Charlotte has been finding out.
0:23:45 > 0:23:47Under the scheme,
0:23:47 > 0:23:51producers must rename their product if it infringes on someone else's.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And that is what happened to this family cheese-making business.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56I'm in North Yorkshire,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00where award-winning cheese producer Judy Bell makes a feta cheese.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03But under the scheme, she's not allowed to call it that.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07After an 11-year legal battle over Greece's claim to the same name,
0:24:07 > 0:24:11what was once Yorkshire Feta is now Yorkshire Fettle.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15What impact did it have then? Well, it lost its authenticity as a feta.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18People saw the word "fettle" and thought,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20"What on earth is this?"
0:24:20 > 0:24:24So, basically, we did lose sales in those early days, until we could
0:24:24 > 0:24:29actually do more marketing and more pushing of the brand.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Isn't that fair enough? Feta is a Greek cheese,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35just like Stilton comes from the East Midlands.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39The word "feta" is an Italian word which means "fresh slice".
0:24:39 > 0:24:41But we were actually branding it "Yorkshire Feta".
0:24:41 > 0:24:44It is a generic recipe really,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48it's a way to make a pickled cheese,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51which is what we were doing. We're going to leave the EU.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Is that your chance to revive Yorkshire Feta?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57After the battle we've had, getting that name out and about, no,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00I think we will hopefully
0:25:00 > 0:25:03be able to put the word "feta-style" on,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07which we haven't been able to do over the last few years,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11so it will identify the product better for the consumer.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19So, what is the government's plan for the scheme?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Well, DEFRA told us, "We are still a member of the EU,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26"and so protected food name status remains in place as normal."
0:25:26 > 0:25:27They go on.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30"We'll work to ensure they continue to benefit from
0:25:30 > 0:25:32"protection in the future."
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Now of course, what that doesn't address is what priority -
0:25:35 > 0:25:39if any - protected food names might get in Brexit negotiations,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42or what any new British scheme might look like.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'To find out, I have come to meet the British man who played
0:25:47 > 0:25:51'a leading role in the scheme's formation in the 1980s.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56'He's food policy expert Professor Tim Lang.'
0:25:56 > 0:25:59You were involved in this scheme almost before it started,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01did you always think it would work?
0:26:01 > 0:26:04I was a bit of a sceptic, I thought, "Why are we doing this?
0:26:04 > 0:26:05"What's the point of it?"
0:26:05 > 0:26:08"This is big Europe trying to rescue
0:26:08 > 0:26:10"something from the embers of a fire."
0:26:10 > 0:26:11But actually, over time,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I've become more interested in it and more committed to it.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17It does actually enable us to encourage
0:26:17 > 0:26:19some authentic food production,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22but the British didn't engage with it very much,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26the rest of the European Union dived in very quickly.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29But latterly, we have got more interested in it as a country.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32So now then, should we change the scheme, develop it a bit?
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Or should we just bring what Europe's got over?
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Well, it would be very easy, pragmatic, just to lift over
0:26:38 > 0:26:42the European scheme and move it in and say, "This is British."
0:26:42 > 0:26:44But is that the answer to what we need
0:26:44 > 0:26:47in food and countryside relations? No. It isn't.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52The mass food, the scale of the food system, means that these
0:26:52 > 0:26:55little local identities are very small,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59but they're symbolically very important, and that is why
0:26:59 > 0:27:02it's an issue worth bothering about, indeed fighting about.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06So what does the head of the UK Protected Foods Names Association
0:27:06 > 0:27:08think the future holds?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12This could actually herald a sort of flourishing
0:27:12 > 0:27:13of British heritage foods.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16We could actually see our products being promoted both locally,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19regionally, we could see that link between food and tourism -
0:27:19 > 0:27:23which in a number of areas could actually boost rural economies -
0:27:23 > 0:27:25we could actually see those crafts and those skills which go
0:27:25 > 0:27:29into those foods promoted and protected, because unless
0:27:29 > 0:27:32you have the ingredients, the crafts and the skills and the people
0:27:32 > 0:27:34with that knowledge, you don't produce iconic foods.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37It's an opportunity, and I think we have to seize it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44It's clear that a great deal of political untangling
0:27:44 > 0:27:47will need to take place in the next few years, and it could be
0:27:47 > 0:27:52much longer before the impact on the food industry is fully realised.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56Brand Great Britain is arguably one of our strongest assets,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58and for those producers who want them, there will be
0:27:58 > 0:28:02economic opportunities beyond Europe's borders.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06But for most of these small producers, it will be UK consumers -
0:28:06 > 0:28:08you and I - who decide their fates
0:28:08 > 0:28:12as everything around them changes. So, watch this space.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Here at Countryfile Live, the crowds are building up.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25From the Dog Arena to the livestock rings, there's a buzz going around.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27And it's all because of this.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30Timbersports -
0:28:30 > 0:28:35where lumberjacks go head-to-head in a show of skill and strength.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Big in America and catching on here,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41let's hope these two know what they're letting themselves in for.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Come on, guys, up you get. Ladies and gents, here we go.
0:28:44 > 0:28:48Tom Heap and Adam Henson from BBC Countryfile.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50APPLAUSE
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Now, this is a big contest for Tom.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59Last summer he took on Adam in a tough pole-climbing challenge...
0:28:59 > 0:29:00and Adam won.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Now, Tom's looking to get even and level the score.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05But it won't be easy.
0:29:07 > 0:29:12Well, a very good afternoon from us all here at the Timbersports Arena.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15We give you now a battle of brains, brawn and stamina,
0:29:15 > 0:29:21as Tom "The Hatchet" Heap locks horns with Adam "The Axeman" Henson
0:29:21 > 0:29:25in a mighty display of awe-inspiring lumberjackery.
0:29:25 > 0:29:32Did you say 75% Rob, 25% Adam? No, actually it's the other way around.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36The hapless pair are being taken under the wing of
0:29:36 > 0:29:39British champions Rob Chatley and Elgan Pugh.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42First contest is the double bucksaw.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46The technique requires rhythm and strength,
0:29:46 > 0:29:47so that's Tom and Adam stuffed.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51Timers ready! Contestants ready!
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Three, two, one, go!
0:29:54 > 0:29:58Let's make some noise, people, let's get right behind these guys.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01Really putting their backs into it.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Pretty close. Who's going to get it?
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Ohh.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Adam and Rob clinch it, but Tom and Elgan aren't far behind.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16Oh, it's exhausting. How easy was it?
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Er, how easy? I think you mean how difficult.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20How difficult was it?
0:30:20 > 0:30:22It was very, very difficult, it's an extraordinary...
0:30:22 > 0:30:25The strength and the agility of these men to do this sport.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27I've never seen anything like it actually.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Rob clearly a great coach and an enormous man.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32It is one of those technique things, isn't it?
0:30:32 > 0:30:35You think you've got it, and they make it look so easy,
0:30:35 > 0:30:37as well as pulling me towards the log!
0:30:37 > 0:30:39So how about the individual singles? Oh, no!
0:30:39 > 0:30:43What do we think, audience? It would only be fair, wouldn't it? No.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45We can't let them escape this easy,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49we don't get such great celebrities on our stage very often.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54The boys now go head-to-head with no help from the champions.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56With its vicious teeth, the single buck
0:30:56 > 0:30:58is the great white of wood saws.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02In the right hands - not Tom or Adam's - it'll make sawdust
0:31:02 > 0:31:03of the toughest trunk.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06Can Tom even the score?
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Timers ready! Contestants ready!
0:31:09 > 0:31:11Three, two, one, go!
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Come on, Tom! Come on, Adam!
0:31:21 > 0:31:24This is going to be really close.
0:31:24 > 0:31:25SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Very, very close.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32CHEERING
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Ohh! A dead heat!
0:31:34 > 0:31:36ADAM LAUGHS
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Look at that time. That's absolutely awesome.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43It's too close to call. Let's see that again in slow motion.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47We've got to wait for the referee's decision.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50Tom wins - by a splinter.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Wahey!
0:31:53 > 0:31:56For once! A big round of applause for these...
0:31:56 > 0:32:01It's taken a year, but Tom levels the score. 1-1.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Well done, Tom, congratulations, fantastic. To be continued.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13And the competitive spirit doesn't end there.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Matt's got a challenge of his own.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20Right, so, I get three wellies, and all I have to try and do
0:32:20 > 0:32:24is stand on this pad here and throw one welly into one ring.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27And it has to obviously then stay within it.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30It has got to be completely in the ring.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33No. In the pink? Yeah, in the centre. Ah, I'm with you.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40Oh, yeah, you got that one. Got a prize. What have I got? Oh, lovely.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43I will put them on for the last one. Here we go.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Ohh. Ah, well, I'm happy with these. Thanks.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58SCREAMING
0:32:58 > 0:33:03It's fantastic to see so many people enjoying themselves at the show.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06But what must it be like having Countryfile Live
0:33:06 > 0:33:08in your back garden?
0:33:12 > 0:33:15I'm meeting up with His Grace, the 12th Duke of Marlborough,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19the man who calls Blenheim Palace his home.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24It must be a huge task to look after 2,000 acres and the palace.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27Well, my late father always used to say it's
0:33:27 > 0:33:30a re-enactment of the Battle of Blenheim.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34With more pounds, shillings and pence. Yeah, I can imagine.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38Yeah, it is, it's somewhat daunting sometimes,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40and I get very thwarted
0:33:40 > 0:33:45by the sheer magnitude of having to keep it going.
0:33:45 > 0:33:50What I want to do is to leave it better than I found it,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52and that's all I can do.
0:33:52 > 0:33:58And I will do as much as I can to pass this legacy on.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Well, we've just seen Adam in action over at
0:34:03 > 0:34:06the Timbersports Arena, but just a few days ago,
0:34:06 > 0:34:09he was on much more familiar ground, here in Oxfordshire,
0:34:09 > 0:34:11looking at some of the county's own breeds.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13If only you two were one of them.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26I am fascinated by the way the landscape
0:34:26 > 0:34:30has shaped our livestock, and the way we farm to produce breeds
0:34:30 > 0:34:32that are particular to individual places.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37There are only two Oxfordshire breeds,
0:34:37 > 0:34:39but they're both very important to me.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41At one time, the Oxford Sandy and Black pig
0:34:41 > 0:34:42was thought to be extinct,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44but then they found a small herd of them.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46And there were sceptics at the time,
0:34:46 > 0:34:48and I have to say, I was one of them.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52The Oxford Sandy and Black is a ginger pig with black spots,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55with semi-floppy ears, and I thought they were probably
0:34:55 > 0:34:58a cross between a Gloucester and a Tamworth.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00But now, I've been invited to a farm in Oxfordshire where
0:35:00 > 0:35:03they're going to prove to me that I'm completely wrong,
0:35:03 > 0:35:07and the Oxford Sandy and Black is a very pure breed, and doing well.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13The Oxford Sandy Black Society
0:35:13 > 0:35:15believed there were still
0:35:15 > 0:35:17pure bloodlines left unregistered.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Peter Colson from the society was convinced,
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and has been working hard to protect these pure lines.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Hi, Peter. Hello, Adam, pleased to meet you. And you, and you.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32What a lovely litter of piglets. How much has she got? She has got 11.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35They are a tricoloured breed, aren't they? Yes.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37So ginger, black and white? Yes.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41The ginger can be very sandy, or really dark red.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I find it fascinating that there's all these different breeds
0:35:44 > 0:35:46specific to a region or a county.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48So we've got the Gloucestershire Old Spot,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and then right next door, the Oxford Sandy and Black.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53Why were they so distinct?
0:35:53 > 0:35:57The Sandy and Blacks were in the forest, acorn and beechnut eaters,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01and foragers, and they were camouflaged in the forest.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03The Gloucesters were kept in the orchards, weren't they?
0:36:03 > 0:36:05To eat the apples and graze.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09When was their heyday? I think after the war really, '40s and '50s,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11when people were short of meat.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13They were cheap and easy to keep.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15What makes you so passionate about the breed?
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Well, it's a family tradition really.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19My grandfather had them, and he died when I was eight,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21and I can remember the pigs in the yard.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Do you think he will be looking down on you with a smile on his face?
0:36:24 > 0:36:25He never smiled.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Have you got all the herd-books and all that?
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Yes, we have, in the house we've got everything.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Let's go take a look, shall we? Yeah, love to, let's take a look.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35'Peter has kept all of the herd-books going right back to
0:36:35 > 0:36:37'the society's formation in 1985.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41'Geneticist Dr Rex Walters was president
0:36:41 > 0:36:43'when they had a breakthrough.'
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Oh, pleased to meet you. Pleased to meet you, Adam, hello.
0:36:45 > 0:36:48And how rare were they then?
0:36:48 > 0:36:53Well, there were only 15 bulls listed in the original book.
0:36:53 > 0:36:5715 bulls alive in total? Yep, and 55 sows.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00So I suppose using the herd-books and then your scientific research,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03this is where you've made your discoveries?
0:37:03 > 0:37:04Absolutely, yes. Show me the work then.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Right, well, this is just showing all the different diversity,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10all the variation between all the different breeds,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13and we can look at the breeds and see all that diversity.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14It's trying to get beyond that,
0:37:14 > 0:37:16so we're looking at the secrets of the gene.
0:37:16 > 0:37:21So when you looked at the Oxford genes, the DNA of the Oxford,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23it was distinct? It was totally distinct, yes.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25So this is the DEFRA statement.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28"The results showed that it was possible to distinguish
0:37:28 > 0:37:30"these pigs from the other pig breeds
0:37:30 > 0:37:33"with a high degree of certainty."
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Here it is, I'm absolutely convinced now
0:37:36 > 0:37:39that they are a pure breed. That's brilliant, isn't it?
0:37:39 > 0:37:40It is, it's a fantastic story.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Well, I think it's wonderful that the Oxford Sandy and Black
0:37:45 > 0:37:49has been formally recognised using up-to-date technology,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52and now, the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and passionate breeders
0:37:52 > 0:37:54like Peter can carry on their good work
0:37:54 > 0:37:58securing the future of these really lovely pigs.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I may have been sceptical about the existence
0:38:04 > 0:38:05of the Oxford Sandy and Black,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08but there's another Oxfordshire County breed
0:38:08 > 0:38:09which I've never doubted.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13In fact, it holds a very special place in my heart.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20To encourage us to get into rare breeds conservation,
0:38:20 > 0:38:24my dad bought me and my three older sisters a breed each.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26And mine was the Exmoor Pony,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29but I soon realised there wasn't much cash in ponies,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32so I persuaded him to get me a breed of sheep,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36and we went for the Oxford Down, and I distinctly remember choosing them.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39They were absolutely enormous, with big, woolly topknots.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45I don't actually have any Oxford Down sheep any more,
0:38:45 > 0:38:49so I'm excited to be visiting Rex Vincent and his family,
0:38:49 > 0:38:52with his prize-winning flock in Witney.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54Hello, Rex. Hello, Adam, how are you? Good to see you.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Yeah, very well, thank you. How many Oxfords have you got, then?
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Well, they're my daughters' sheep really, they've got about eight.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02So remind me of the finer points of an Oxford, then,
0:39:02 > 0:39:03what makes a good one?
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Well, I've got one here that's been reasonably successful at the show.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10A perfect example, has he done well, then?
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Yeah, he's unbeaten in his class and he has a championship
0:39:14 > 0:39:16and a reserve championship to his name. Goodness me.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18What makes him so good, then, Rex?
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Well, he stands well at the front here, he's nice and white
0:39:21 > 0:39:24at the front here, and he's white all the way through.
0:39:24 > 0:39:29No dips in the back, he's solid. That is really solid, isn't it?
0:39:29 > 0:39:31And the wool was important in the breed, wasn't it?
0:39:31 > 0:39:33When they were first created,
0:39:33 > 0:39:38they had one eye on the meat and another eye on the wool trade,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41and being so close to Witney and the Witney blanket factory
0:39:41 > 0:39:43round here, the wool was quite important.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46And although they've got back legs and ears and noses,
0:39:46 > 0:39:49you mustn't have any black wool in the body, must you?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51No, no black wool, it is quite a fault if you've got
0:39:51 > 0:39:55a lot of black in your sheep. Because dark wool can't be dyed.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58That's right, and your wool is worthless. I remember showing them,
0:39:58 > 0:40:00and they're quite particular about their ears at show, aren't they?
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Yeah, the ears need to come straight out and they need
0:40:03 > 0:40:05a little bit of wool on them.
0:40:05 > 0:40:07The topknot's very important, that goes back to the days when,
0:40:07 > 0:40:11if you'd bought a ram that had been shorn,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13that was the sample of your wool.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16We haven't had them on the farm for quite some time now, and I must say,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19they are lovely sheep, this is great to see them again.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Let's pop him back in the pen, shall we?
0:40:21 > 0:40:24'Rex's daughter Jolie is getting one of her sheep ready for
0:40:24 > 0:40:26'an upcoming show, and she's going to show me
0:40:26 > 0:40:30'how she prepares the animal to make it look its best.'
0:40:30 > 0:40:32So what's the first stage?
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Well, first we shear them quite early on in the year,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38about February, and then we wait for the wool to grow a bit,
0:40:38 > 0:40:40and we wash them down.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Not too much soap, because it makes the wool quite soft
0:40:42 > 0:40:44and hard to trim.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47And then we fluff them up, just makes them look a bit more even.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50Then with the hand trimmers, let me show you how you do that.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56I was always told that you should hold one still and the other moves,
0:40:56 > 0:41:00so it should just come like that, which is quite difficult to do.
0:41:00 > 0:41:03Mm. And then as you're moving across, the one should move,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06and the other one trim, so you're just gently...
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Like that. It takes forever, doesn't it?
0:41:10 > 0:41:12But quite satisfying when you get it right. Yes.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16I've probably just messed this up now, you're going to lose.
0:41:16 > 0:41:17I'll fix it later.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Well, it's really brilliant seeing these Oxfordshire breeds thriving.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26I'm delighted that the Oxford Sandy and Black pig has done so well
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and wasn't lost forever, and it's brilliant that
0:41:29 > 0:41:33the Oxford Down sheep are inspiring the next generation of shepherds,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35just like they did for me all those years ago.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43JOHN CRAVEN: No country show would be complete,
0:41:43 > 0:41:44of course, without animals,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48and here at Countryfile Live, there are plenty on show -
0:41:48 > 0:41:50everything from shire horses to working dogs.
0:41:53 > 0:41:58And even a bird in hand. How about this? A beautiful buzzard.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01I've come to the show's Wildlife Zone to meet somebody who's
0:42:01 > 0:42:05brought lots of birds of prey and owls for people to see.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09Well, hello, James. Hello there, John.
0:42:09 > 0:42:10Well, why do you think it is important
0:42:10 > 0:42:12to bring birds like this to the show?
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Because most people never get this close to them,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18and if you are that close, you can just feel the majesty of this bird.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20It's just the wow factor, isn't it?
0:42:20 > 0:42:22And I think for young people particularly,
0:42:22 > 0:42:24when they see something like this close up,
0:42:24 > 0:42:27they realise what we've got to conserve.
0:42:27 > 0:42:30And is this a male or a female? This is a female. Got a name?
0:42:30 > 0:42:33She is called Esther. And what's Esther's story?
0:42:33 > 0:42:37She was brought to us in 1990 by a police officer who had taken
0:42:37 > 0:42:40it from someone who had taken her from the wild,
0:42:40 > 0:42:41and she's been with us ever since.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43So she'll be well over 25 years old.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45She's probably the best part of 30,
0:42:45 > 0:42:47because she was already fully feathered, and that means
0:42:47 > 0:42:50that she was probably two or three when we got her, maybe a bit older.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53So we like to think she's about 30 years old.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Buzzards are relatively common these days, aren't they?
0:42:56 > 0:42:57But they didn't used to be.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59No, when I was a little boy, if you saw one of these,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01it was like finding a unicorn.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04And we used to stop the car and just marvel at the fact
0:43:04 > 0:43:05that there was one there.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09Now, this is the most common of all the raptors in the UK.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11And is Esther any good as a hunter?
0:43:11 > 0:43:12JAMES LAUGHS No.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15These are idle birds, they really are.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18On a really good day, she will catch you a nice, big, fat slug to eat...
0:43:18 > 0:43:22But here you've got the real hunter. This is a Harris's Hawk.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24This is Charlie.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26These come from the Arizona desert,
0:43:26 > 0:43:29and these really are superb predators.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32And do you use him for any special purpose?
0:43:32 > 0:43:34He helps us with rabbit control,
0:43:34 > 0:43:36he helps us get rid of lots of pests in the countryside.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40And do you think we've bonded? She's been very well-behaved.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43I think you have been a very good apprentice today, John.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44Well done. Thank you.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48'And that's a term that has always been used for novice falconers.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51'Now, Blenheim Palace has a series of beautiful lakes
0:43:51 > 0:43:54'created by Capability Brown.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56'But beneath the surface, all is not well.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58'They're silting up badly,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02'and making the situation worse is invasive Canadian pondweed,
0:44:02 > 0:44:05'which, if left unchecked, will completely choke them.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08'And it's another of our feathered friends, the mallard duck,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11'that's been drafted in to help.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14'For Blenheim's property director Roger File,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17'the silting is now a serious threat,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20'and I've come for a boat ride with him to discover more.'
0:44:20 > 0:44:23Well, this is such a beautiful setting, isn't it, Roger? Yeah.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25You'd never guess there was a problem. Just how bad is it?
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Well, when the lake was originally built,
0:44:27 > 0:44:30it was about 2.1 metres deep in this area, which is known as
0:44:30 > 0:44:36Queen's Pool, now 70% of this area is 30 centimetres or less...
0:44:36 > 0:44:37Wow. ..in depth.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Can you show me? I can show you with this oar here quickly.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43You can see the blade there, that's now resting on the bottom. Wow.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45You can see how shallow it is,
0:44:45 > 0:44:49it comes up to about this deep from the bottom of the oar.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53There's relatively hardly any water here on this beautiful lake.
0:44:53 > 0:44:5775% of the volume of this part of the lake is now silt.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00So what can you do about it? Take the silt out.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04We're, at the moment, working out what is the best way to
0:45:04 > 0:45:07scoop it out and spread it elsewhere on the estate.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11And what can you do to prevent any more silt being created?
0:45:11 > 0:45:12A number of things.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16We can build in silt traps upstream to stop it being washed down,
0:45:16 > 0:45:22and we can also use natural methods such as the mallards and the geese
0:45:22 > 0:45:25and the swans that you see here to keep the weeds under control,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29which stops the water being slowed down and the silt then building up.
0:45:30 > 0:45:33Canadian pond weed is a real treat for mallards,
0:45:33 > 0:45:37so hundreds of them have been recruited to keep it under control.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42Today, I'm joining estate manager Roy Cox to release 50 more
0:45:42 > 0:45:44into a secluded part of the lakes.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47They're all very young ones, aren't they?
0:45:47 > 0:45:49Yeah, these are all about eight weeks old, John. Uh-huh.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51And they'll stay here for a few months over the summer,
0:45:51 > 0:45:53and once they've grown, they'll then leave us.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57And what impact have the ducks that you've already released had?
0:45:57 > 0:45:59So they've started grazing the pondweed.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01There's plenty more further downstream for these 50
0:46:01 > 0:46:02that we're releasing.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06Well, shall we let the first ones go? Absolutely, let's do it.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Off you go, boys and girls.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10DUCKS QUACK
0:46:15 > 0:46:17The pondweed's further down there!
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Back at the showground, Matt's on the other side of the lake.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32Well, down here at the water's edge, there are
0:46:32 > 0:46:35so many things that families can try for the very first time.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Look, we've got families out canoeing there
0:46:37 > 0:46:39and there's a lot of fishing going here, because, Sarah,
0:46:39 > 0:46:41this is all about getting hooked on fishing.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43Getting hooked on fishing, that's right.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46What we are providing here is not only actual fishing out on
0:46:46 > 0:46:49the lake there, but also a great opportunity for the families
0:46:49 > 0:46:52to come and have some fun, try a few angling skills,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55compete against yourself, compete against your friends,
0:46:55 > 0:46:58your family, with all of our little casting games and throwing games.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Oh, look, so we have got their dads and sons, mums and daughters,
0:47:01 > 0:47:05they're all having a go, and the idea, then, is obviously to cast
0:47:05 > 0:47:08the little ball that's on the end of the rod into one of these buckets.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10Into one of the buckets, that's right.
0:47:10 > 0:47:13That was a good one. That's fabulous. Did you just get that in?
0:47:13 > 0:47:15I saw that - that was magic.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19Now, can you do it again with the pressure of the telly cameras?
0:47:19 > 0:47:20I think you can. Here we go.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23ALL: Yay!
0:47:30 > 0:47:31Here at Countryfile Live,
0:47:31 > 0:47:35there are big sections of the show devoted to British farming.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38The industry has just had one of its toughest years,
0:47:38 > 0:47:41and one of the hardest hit sectors - pork production.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44PIGS OINK
0:47:44 > 0:47:47British pig farmers are struggling.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Returns are at their lowest for more than 16 years, but here at
0:47:50 > 0:47:52Countryfile Live, there are a group of ladies
0:47:52 > 0:47:54who are hoping to change all that.
0:47:56 > 0:48:00Meet Ladies in Pigs, also known as LIPs.
0:48:00 > 0:48:05Their mission - to put British pork back on the map and our plates.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Sue Woodall is their chairwoman.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10It's all going on here, Sue, there's cooking, there's trailers,
0:48:10 > 0:48:13there's all sorts of people. What's going on?
0:48:13 > 0:48:16What we do is, we go to events and we take our recipe book that
0:48:16 > 0:48:20we're giving away free today, and we cook all different parts of the pig.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24So we're doing a mince recipe, we're doing bacon brownies,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27sweet potato and coconut casserole with pork in,
0:48:27 > 0:48:31and we give the public tasters all day, ask them to try it, and then
0:48:31 > 0:48:35talk about where to buy British pork, how to buy British pork.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38A lot of our ladies are pig farmers, involved in the pig industry,
0:48:38 > 0:48:41and they're just passionate about British farming.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44Sally, Sally Stockings, I've got to say, it's such a fantastic name,
0:48:44 > 0:48:46you are a pig farmer, aren't you? Yes, I am.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49The industry has had a really tough time of late, why is that?
0:48:49 > 0:48:52It was a sort of perfect storm really.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56We had a ban of British and European pork into Russia,
0:48:56 > 0:49:04we then had an oversupply of pork in Europe, with a strong pound,
0:49:04 > 0:49:09resulted in a flood of European and foreign meat into this country.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13And that was causing us to lose about ?10 a pig.
0:49:13 > 0:49:14But it's getting better.
0:49:14 > 0:49:17It's an improving picture, we like to hear that. It is, it is.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Breaking down the barriers between producers and consumers
0:49:25 > 0:49:28is what Ladies in Pigs is all about.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32That same ethos is also behind the explosive rise in street food -
0:49:32 > 0:49:36fresh food cooked with care and served straight up to the customer
0:49:36 > 0:49:37by street vendors.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42And in street food circles, it pays to stand out from the crowd.
0:49:44 > 0:49:46These guys take their cue straight from the pages
0:49:46 > 0:49:48of classic British literature.
0:49:50 > 0:49:51Hello there, gentlemen.
0:49:51 > 0:49:53I'm going to ask a terrible question -
0:49:53 > 0:49:55"what the dickens" is going on?
0:49:55 > 0:49:59What we do in our small way is to draw some attention to some
0:49:59 > 0:50:01of these old-fashioned British recipes that maybe people
0:50:01 > 0:50:03have forgotten about a bit.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Where did the idea come from?
0:50:05 > 0:50:08Well, it was originally a bit of a daft idea that we had, but it
0:50:08 > 0:50:12was partly inspired by reading old books like PG Wodehouse novels.
0:50:12 > 0:50:15So what's this you're cooking here? This is our devilled pork.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Shoulder of Gloucester Old Spot,
0:50:17 > 0:50:19which is roasted over a period of hours,
0:50:19 > 0:50:21and we've put on a devilled sauce, which is about... It's about
0:50:21 > 0:50:24a 200-year-old recipe containing mustard and cayenne pepper.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Those are the staples of devilled sauce.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29"Devilled" is an old-fashioned word meaning spicy.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31That looks like kedgeree. Is that what that is?
0:50:31 > 0:50:32That's indeed kedgeree. I love kedgeree.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34What's the history of that dish?
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Kedgeree is an Anglo-Indian dish,
0:50:37 > 0:50:41I guess originally developed by British people living in India
0:50:41 > 0:50:44who, I think, were adapting a local dish called khichuri,
0:50:44 > 0:50:49which is a rice and lentil dish, and the British people put fish in it.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51We're making it with smoked haddock.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53That's become the kind of classic kedgeree,
0:50:53 > 0:50:56particularly associated with the Victorian era.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Can I have a sample of that? Absolutely. Mmm.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02Smells so good over here. How wonderful is that? Fresh parsley.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05Ohh, don't mind if I do, thank you very much.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07Oh, that smells amazing.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12That is absolutely delicious.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31We've been bringing you the very best
0:51:31 > 0:51:33of our first ever Countryfile Live -
0:51:33 > 0:51:36a celebration of the British countryside from
0:51:36 > 0:51:38the magnificent setting of Blenheim Palace.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42So that is pretty much it, Ellie. It was good, it was good.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44What a day it's been.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46We've had wildlife, rare breeds, British farming...
0:51:46 > 0:51:47There was the arena shows,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50it's all been very inspirational stuff,
0:51:50 > 0:51:51and if you've missed any of it,
0:51:51 > 0:51:53here's a look back at some of the best bits.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Whoo!
0:51:57 > 0:51:59ALL: Three, two, one... Wahey!
0:52:03 > 0:52:06What a beautiful day here at Blenheim Palace.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08MUSIC: Rather Be by Clean Bandit
0:52:11 > 0:52:15This is the first time we've ever tried anything on this scale,
0:52:15 > 0:52:18so it's fantastic to see so many people here.
0:52:21 > 0:52:22Right, we're going to run.
0:52:25 > 0:52:26ALL: Yay!
0:52:26 > 0:52:27Well done!
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Isn't this just the weirdest thing ever?
0:52:31 > 0:52:35Never thought I would see the day. Heap Way. Or is it Heap Wa-hey?
0:52:35 > 0:52:38Three, two, one, go!
0:52:40 > 0:52:42CHEERING
0:52:58 > 0:52:59Does anyone want a drink?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01ALL: Yes!
0:53:01 > 0:53:03Apparently, the drinks are on the landlord.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07Do you know what I have always wanted to say
0:53:07 > 0:53:08behind a bar like this?
0:53:08 > 0:53:10Get out of ma pub!
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Don't think much of the landlord. Only joking. I'll see you later.
0:53:17 > 0:53:21Chocolate mint. And the mint's salty.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23Is the mint salty?
0:53:30 > 0:53:33I have found THE most glamorous woman on telly.
0:53:33 > 0:53:34As if! Hello! Hello!
0:53:43 > 0:53:47Yeah! That's more like it. Big round of applause for Anita and John.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49Thank you, everybody.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58Well, that is all we have got time for this week.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01If you haven't managed to make it down to Countryfile Live,
0:54:01 > 0:54:03the plan is to do it all again next year,
0:54:03 > 0:54:07so fingers crossed we will see you again at another big live show.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09We are looking forward to it already.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Now, next week, the programme will be in Wiltshire,
0:54:11 > 0:54:13with rare access to Stonehenge.
0:54:13 > 0:54:15And John and the rest of the judges from
0:54:15 > 0:54:17the Countryfile Photographic Competition
0:54:17 > 0:54:19will be whittling down the thousands
0:54:19 > 0:54:21of entries to the final 12. Don't miss it.
0:54:21 > 0:54:22Speaking of John... Yeah?
0:54:22 > 0:54:24..let's get to the Craven Arms.
0:54:24 > 0:54:27Oh-ho, let's have a swifty on the way home. Right.