0:00:29 > 0:00:32A place where unusual livestock graze...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37..and there are farms that grow flowers...
0:00:40 > 0:00:43..where smugglers once roamed
0:00:43 > 0:00:46and giant arrows point the way.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Hampshire is more curious than you think.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Yes, today I'm going to be heading to a farm where water buffalo
0:00:53 > 0:00:55is knocking beef off the menu...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Look at that! The noise!
0:01:01 > 0:01:04..and I'll be trying on a blooming lovely headdress.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07- That looks so great.- Does it? - Yeah, it really does.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Tom's looking at how our seas are protected
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and why some scientists believe a lot more should be done...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18So have the Marine Conservation Zones delivered anything?
0:01:18 > 0:01:19Not yet.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21I mean, the promise is that they are protecting
0:01:21 > 0:01:24wildlife in the sea, that they're going to recover the state
0:01:24 > 0:01:26of the marine environment,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28but at the moment they're completely useless.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33..and it's shearing time down on Adam's farm.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37This doesn't hurt the sheep at all.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40It's a bit like having a massage, really, I think.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Acre upon acre of verdant pasture,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55silky, shivering rivers and lots of trees.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00Hampshire, renowned for the beauty of the New Forest and its ponies.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I'm at Fordingbridge, at the western edge of the forest...
0:02:09 > 0:02:12..where ponies have roamed freely for centuries.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19There's around 3,000 ponies living in the forest
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and they are relics of a bygone age.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24See you later.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Once these ponies were the main means of transport throughout
0:02:27 > 0:02:30the county, carrying goods and people
0:02:30 > 0:02:32and powering the local economy.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35The days of the packhorse may be long gone,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38but Gale Gould is keen to revive the tradition
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and she's doing it with the help of her own trusty packhorse, Josh.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44How on earth did you and Josh end up doing this, then?
0:02:44 > 0:02:46When did it all start?
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Well, I bought Josh three years ago.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52One of my dogs was very arthritic and I couldn't
0:02:52 > 0:02:53take him for walks and I thought,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55"Well, I'll take the pony for a walk."
0:02:55 > 0:02:58And then it kind of grew from there because I thought, "Well, if he's
0:02:58 > 0:03:02"coming for a walk, he might as well carry things,"
0:03:02 > 0:03:04and it just kind of snowballed.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06So what kind of things do you move with him, then?
0:03:06 > 0:03:09In their day, the packhorses that would have been
0:03:09 > 0:03:12used on the forest would have carried all sorts.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16- They were the 4x4s or pick-up trucks of their day.- Yeah.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18I'll tell you what, let's just stop for a second and have a look
0:03:18 > 0:03:20because it's some kit that you've got on here.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Where does this come from?
0:03:22 > 0:03:24I actually got this from America
0:03:24 > 0:03:29because it's really big business out there. People go wild camping.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Do you know what? You could carry our cameras, maybe a tripod.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33He'd do that, he would do that.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37You would be a brilliant addition to our Countryfile crew, I think.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40But back in the day, what would have been a typical
0:03:40 > 0:03:43day for a packhorse in the New Forest?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46The packhorses would have carried all sorts of goods.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The commoners would have used them for carrying turfs and heather
0:03:48 > 0:03:52and they'd have also been used to transport goods to market.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56Come on, Josh.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00Good, honest work, but the packhorses were also used
0:04:00 > 0:04:03by less scrupulous people - smugglers.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07For centuries, smuggling was a way of life,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11conducted under the cover of night and away from the eyes of the law,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17as in the poem A Smuggler's Song by Rudyard Kipling.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Five and twenty ponies, trotting through the dark -
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Brandy for the parson, 'baccy for the clerk.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31Laces for a lady, letters for a spy,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Watch the wall, my darling, while the gentleman go by.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43- Well, how rife was smuggling, Gale? - Everyone was doing it.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And some of the gangs would have been folk heroes.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- Yeah.- And they'd have used their ponies.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53Oh, hang on, the brakes are on. What's happening, Josh?
0:04:53 > 0:04:54You see, this is another thing.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57You get at one - don't you? - with the landscape that's around you,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00because his kind of instinct and his senses, he just suddenly stops
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and looks and then everybody's like, "Oh, hang on, what's happening?"
0:05:03 > 0:05:05So you really get in tune.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Well, Josh, while you've stopped for a little nibble,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I'm imagining now, as far as the smugglers are concerned,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16this rig just rammed with stuff. What would've been in here?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18What contraband are we talking about?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21So it would have been luxury items and, in those days,
0:05:21 > 0:05:26luxury items were brandy, lace, tobacco, tea and coffee.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29OK, OK, and what kind of numbers are we talking about?
0:05:29 > 0:05:32I mean, how many people were involved with this?
0:05:32 > 0:05:33It was widespread.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37There was one news report I found where there were 500 packponies
0:05:37 > 0:05:41that were being used to carry contraband from the coast
0:05:41 > 0:05:45through the forest to be dispersed to the towns inland.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Surely they'd have got caught!
0:05:47 > 0:05:49I mean, if you're talking that kind of numbers,
0:05:49 > 0:05:50how come they didn't get caught?
0:05:50 > 0:05:54There were very few customs men to actually patrol these areas
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and they had whole coastlines to patrol.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58And am I right in saying that they were quite canny
0:05:58 > 0:06:00as far as storytelling is concerned?
0:06:00 > 0:06:04One of the favourite places for hiding contraband were churchyards,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08so the smugglers would encourage tales of coaches
0:06:08 > 0:06:11- being drawn by headless horseman. - To scare people, then?- Oh, totally.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13If they heard noises.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15So you wouldn't have looked out of your windows
0:06:15 > 0:06:19if you heard the sound of horse hooves late at night.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22But also it was a way that they could talk about what
0:06:22 > 0:06:24they had seen if they had seen something.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28So they could sit in the pubs and talk about ghost stories.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31Must be a few in the New Forest now, those ghost stories.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- Oh, there certainly are. - All them years.- There certainly are.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Right, then, have you finished?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- Not quite. Let's crack on. - A few mouthfuls.- Shall we?
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Do you always carry a bottle of brandy just in homage?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Yeah, only for medicinal purposes, though.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Right, great, we'll look for that
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and we'll stop in about another half a mile.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54By the 19th century, the smugglers' days were up.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57The newly formed Coastguard service clamped down hard
0:06:57 > 0:07:01and cuts in taxation made smuggling unprofitable.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05The smugglers and their dark deeds melted into history.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Well, we've now been inundated by donkeys.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22This is a perfect example about what you were saying, Gale, of...
0:07:22 > 0:07:24All the inquisitive characters that live around here
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- want to come and say hello. - They do, they do.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Have you come over cos you can smell brandy in those panniers?
0:07:30 > 0:07:31Food, picnic.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Josh used to be a free-roaming pony himself,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37so maybe these are friends from the past.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Quite possibly, quite possibly. He has got quite a few friends.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Yeah, that's lovely. Happy to go? All right, then.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52It must be quite nice cos you're walking at a pace that is
0:07:52 > 0:07:57very accessible for people to enquire about what's going on.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01It's amazing. We walk so slowly, people actually overtake us.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02MATT LAUGHS
0:08:02 > 0:08:04It's true.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Well, this is certainly a pleasant way to explore the landscape -
0:08:08 > 0:08:11strolling through the countryside with a real local for company...
0:08:11 > 0:08:13of the four-legged variety.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Seven years ago, the idea of Marine Conservation Zones was
0:08:19 > 0:08:22introduced to try and help to protect Britain's seas.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25So why is it some of the scientists that were involved are saying
0:08:25 > 0:08:28that it's just not working? Tom's been finding out.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37Britain's coastline.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43The dramatic edge between land and sea.
0:08:47 > 0:08:54From chalky coral beds to luscious kelp forests, our waters
0:08:54 > 0:08:59are home to some of the richest and most diverse sea life in the world.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02And that sea life is so important,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06the government has spent the past seven years
0:09:06 > 0:09:09and more than £10 million establishing
0:09:09 > 0:09:12a network of protected marine areas.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16But critics say they're just an expensive paper exercise that
0:09:16 > 0:09:20has left our marine environments at greater risk than before.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30Currently, Marine Conservation Zones, or MCZs, are being set up
0:09:30 > 0:09:35to protect a range of nationally important wildlife and habitats.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41Initially, 127 sites were identified as being important.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48So far, though, only 50 have been established, covering nearly
0:09:48 > 0:09:558,000 square miles, including this - a rather stormy Holderness coast.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57The final zones will be worked out next year.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01But while the zones were being set up,
0:10:01 > 0:10:05an open letter was sent to the government, saying the plans
0:10:05 > 0:10:09had fallen well short of the original aims
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and would not deliver the protection needed for marine life.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16It was signed by 82 academics,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19five of whom were the government's own advisers.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Three years on and, with more zones in place,
0:10:23 > 0:10:27those advisers still say not enough has changed and that is partly
0:10:27 > 0:10:32because hardly any of these areas have regulations to govern them.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35One of those advisers, Professor Callum Roberts,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38says the MCZs are worse than useless.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42- Have the Marine Conservation Zones delivered anything?- Not yet.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45The promise is that they are protecting wildlife in the sea,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49that they are going to recover the state of the marine environment,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51that it is going to improve a lot of things,
0:10:51 > 0:10:53but at the moment they are completely useless
0:10:53 > 0:10:57because they give the illusion of protection in its complete absence.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01They are just paper parks. There is no new management in them at all.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03There is no protection that has been implemented.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05We've got lots of lines on the map.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07And what would you like to see that actually would
0:11:07 > 0:11:09protect marine life?
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Well, I think we could rescue this whole process of protecting life
0:11:13 > 0:11:18by genuinely closing them to the major fisheries.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21If you protect them from bottom trawling and scallop dredging,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25that will go a long way to seeing the recovery of life
0:11:25 > 0:11:27that used to be there.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Professor Roberts thinks fishing bans,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34or no-take zones, as they are known in the industry,
0:11:34 > 0:11:35are the answer.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38The plans originally included reference areas,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40where fishing would be completely banned.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Those reference areas would've been the backbone of the whole system,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50- but they were dropped at the first hurdle by the government.- Why?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53I think because of pressure from the fishing industry.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55They didn't want to put any in place that would protect
0:11:55 > 0:11:57the sea from all fishing.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Whether or not the government bowed to that pressure,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Marine Conservation Zones are being established.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16The zones and their Scottish equivalents so far cover 9%
0:12:16 > 0:12:21of our seas, including and bordering many of our fishing grounds.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25But that is causing difficulties for fishermen as well.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30Paul Trebilcock is from the National Federation Of Fishermen's Organisations.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33At the moment, there are no management measures for this MCZ
0:12:33 > 0:12:35so you can do exactly the same on both sides of the boundary.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38The biggest problem is uncertainty.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43Because the managers haven't come forward with the management measures so we don't know what will
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and what will not be managed, restricted in these areas,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48that creates problems and uncertainty,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50which no business likes.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54And Paul is hopeful that, when regulations are put in place,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57fishing will still be allowed in MCZs.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Fishing CAN be compatible with the marine environment.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01But it so often isn't compatible.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05No, but I think we have to recognise that in many cases it IS compatible.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09Many of these MCZs, the features and marine environment within them,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11are in favourable or excellent condition.
0:13:11 > 0:13:12That means that fishing
0:13:12 > 0:13:16and marine environmental protection are not mutually exclusive.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19What for you is the sort of nightmare scenario
0:13:19 > 0:13:21in terms of what could come in?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23I think the doomsday scenario
0:13:23 > 0:13:25would be a complete restriction of fishing.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Hopefully we are not going to the doomsday scenario.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31I think that would be a negative, not only for the fishing industry
0:13:31 > 0:13:34but actually for the marine environment.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38But Paul does realise some restrictions may be necessary.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41I think there would have to be strong evidence.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43And if that evidence was there that it would benefit not only
0:13:43 > 0:13:46the marine environment but the fishing industry,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48then of course we would have to consider that.
0:13:53 > 0:13:59So, fishermen and academics agree that MCZs are not currently working
0:13:59 > 0:14:03but the idea of no-take zones are a bit more divisive.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Lyme Bay, off the Dorset coast.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17A 60-square-mile stretch of these inshore waters is designated
0:14:17 > 0:14:19a Marine Nature Reserve.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25And here, unlike in most Marine Conservation Zones,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28there ARE fishing restrictions,
0:14:28 > 0:14:32something that scientists say are vital for the survival of sea life.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37A fishing ban was introduced here in 2008,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40stopping scallop dredging and bottom trawling to help
0:14:40 > 0:14:46protect its reef habitat, though some pot fishing is still allowed.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48And a study run by Plymouth University
0:14:48 > 0:14:52is monitoring the impact of those restrictions on the reef.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Adam Rees is showing me the results.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59- You can see here we've got some cobble reef...- Yeah.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02..but you can see there's not really much growing on it -
0:15:02 > 0:15:05there's not many... what we class as reef features.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07I can see a sort of rubbly seabed here,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10but, yeah, not a lot of growth.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13So, what about after we've brought in the restrictions on fishing?
0:15:13 > 0:15:15So, this is footage taken a few years later,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and so things have had a chance to grow,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20so, you can see here, sort of pink sea fans,
0:15:20 > 0:15:22many reef features that we were trying to protect
0:15:22 > 0:15:24within this area are now starting to recover,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and you can see there's a high abundance of them.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28And how's it been going? What's the result?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Well, it's been really positive.
0:15:30 > 0:15:31Many of the inshore fishermen here
0:15:31 > 0:15:33are starting to see increases in their catch,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37in terms of crab and lobster, species such as bass and cod
0:15:37 > 0:15:39are starting to see real benefits in this protected area.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42But, broadly, does this feel like that Holy Grail,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44sustainable fishery, to you?
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I think that this area is really showing
0:15:46 > 0:15:48that you can protect an area,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50and you can actually have benefits for fishermen
0:15:50 > 0:15:52and the wider community.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55We're starting to see that the fish are coming back,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and that we actually are benefitting the local community
0:15:57 > 0:16:00rather than just the ecology as a whole.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07With our seawaters facing competing demands from the fishing industry
0:16:07 > 0:16:10and the environmental lobby,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13protecting our coastal waters will always be contentious.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Ultimately, it falls to the government
0:16:19 > 0:16:23to strike the right balance, and MCZ's a part of their solution -
0:16:23 > 0:16:27but one that, at the moment, both sides agree,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29falls well short of the mark.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34The fisheries minister was unable to talk to us,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36but his office did give us a statement.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08It's three years since the first MCZs were established,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12but we still don't know all the regulations that will govern them,
0:17:12 > 0:17:16or the impact, if any, they'll have on our marine life.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Without new fishing rules,
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Marine Conservation Zones are toothless, and largely pointless.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29The hard choices deciding the fate of our fish
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and fishermen are still to come.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Now, this week is British Flowers Week,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46and to mark it, Charlotte is on a farm
0:17:46 > 0:17:48where everything is coming up roses.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53This is Morton Farm, deep in the Hampshire countryside...
0:17:55 > 0:17:57..but this is a farm with a difference,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01because while they do grow food, they also grow flowers.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Flowers were first planted here on the family farm in 1995.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Since then, they've been slowly but surely encroaching
0:18:14 > 0:18:18on the 500 acres of more traditional wheat and other crops.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21It's all down to the aptly named Rosebie Morton,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24whose British flower business is...blooming.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Lots of people diversify, Rosebie,
0:18:27 > 0:18:29but very few go into something as tricky as flowers -
0:18:29 > 0:18:31so, what made you do that?
0:18:31 > 0:18:35It was through frustration, basically, because, you know,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38you'd walk into a flower shop, and you couldn't smell anything,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42but I could remember my mother's and my grandmother's gardens -
0:18:42 > 0:18:45you know, walking along and really smelling roses.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49So, I wanted to start growing roses, which had the scent,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- and that's where it all started from.- Right.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54- Well, let's see if you've succeeded. - THEY LAUGH
0:18:57 > 0:18:59That does smell lovely, actually.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Why, then, does that rose smell
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and many of the other ones that people buy don't, really?
0:19:04 > 0:19:06It's all down to variety,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and what the breeders did, some years back,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12was to breed for longevity or colour or vigour,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16whereas we have gone the other way,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19and we're growing something - we're growing garden roses,
0:19:19 > 0:19:23and I have chosen varieties which have got serious scent.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24And that's all it comes down to.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29But at the same time, these are very difficult to grow!
0:19:30 > 0:19:33So, you've got to be slightly crazy.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Just slightly(!)
0:19:34 > 0:19:36When Rosebie first started 20 years ago,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39flower traders told her she was bonkers.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43Customers, though, disagreed - and her heavily scented roses sold well.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47So well that, now, 12 acres of the best wheat fields
0:19:47 > 0:19:50have been replanted with flowers.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52But a rose isn't just a rose -
0:19:52 > 0:19:54they all look different and smell different.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Talking roses is a bit like talking about wine.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Earthy, bold - something for every nose.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04So, we've got Margaret Merril here,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06which is this ivory one.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- That is one of the best scents there is.- That's lovely.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13That is, sort of, quintessential English rose, it really is.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15And then we've got Paisley Abbey there.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17This is classic, isn't it?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20A classic red rose for romance.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22A typical red rose for romance.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27- How about this one?- This one is really quite a winey scent.- Yes.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30You really get the sort of real intensity to it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- Chandos Beauty, which is this one...- Mm-hm.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38..it actually comes - its parent was Margaret Merril,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- so you pick up a bit of that same citrus.- Yeah.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- It's a bit like boiled sweets, or something.- Yeah, slightly sherbety.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47- Yeah.- Yep, I think you pass the test beautifully!
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Altogether, then, how many different types of roses are you growing?
0:20:57 > 0:20:59So, we're growing about 24 different types,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01that we're actually cutting from now, as we speak,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05but we've also got about 20-30 trials that we're doing,
0:21:05 > 0:21:10because you've always got to be finding new scents, new colours,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12new roses - or new to us, anyway.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14And you grow other flowers as well.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Very much so, because the bouquets aren't just about the roses -
0:21:17 > 0:21:19although that's a main ingredient -
0:21:19 > 0:21:21they're also about lots of other flowers and foliage
0:21:21 > 0:21:25with texture and scent, et cetera, to make up a bouquet.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28Each bouquet, then, is an assault on the senses.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Very much so. I mean, you open up a box of our flowers,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and the scent just hits you, and you go, "Wow! That is a proper rose."
0:21:39 > 0:21:43There is a resurgence of interest in British flowers,
0:21:43 > 0:21:47but they're only a tiny fraction of the blooms we buy every year.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50We import flowers from around the world,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53meaning we can have year-round bouquets,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58but the British flower market is now just 10% of what it was
0:21:58 > 0:21:59in its 1970s heyday.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06This week, though, growers are mounting a fightback,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08with British Flowers Week
0:22:08 > 0:22:12and Rosebie has an experiment she's taking to the streets of London...
0:22:14 > 0:22:17..capturing on camera people's reactions
0:22:17 > 0:22:21as her bouquet's rich smells hit them for the first time.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- So, now you really can smell the bouquet.- Are you ready?
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Yeah - I'm going to get your reaction.
0:22:32 > 0:22:33That is amazing.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35There are so many smells in just the one...
0:22:35 > 0:22:36Yeah.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42It's just taken me, actually, back to being a bridesmaid -
0:22:42 > 0:22:46and my cousin Joanne and I had pom-poms made of sweet peas.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- Oh, wow!- And I would have been, I don't know, six, eight?- Yeah.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52- Something like that, yeah.- Amazing.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54- That's amazing, isn't it? - Yeah, it is.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06What's happening, then, when we're hit by a beautiful scent?
0:23:06 > 0:23:10I've called in Dr Lorenzo Stafford - an expert in our sense of smell.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Lorenzo, why are these scents, these flower scents, so evocative?
0:23:16 > 0:23:17I think, as with all odours,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19and the way it's processed in the brain,
0:23:19 > 0:23:22it's the closest to the emotional part of the brain.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24It's also very close to the hippocampus,
0:23:24 > 0:23:25which is involved in memory.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And it's taking us back to when we remember that smell from.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Exactly, yeah,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and there's something called the reminiscence bump...
0:23:32 > 0:23:34- The reminiscence bump?- Yeah, it's a great name!- What's that?
0:23:34 > 0:23:37So, this is the idea that our strongest,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40most evocative memories are sort of laid down in adolescence,
0:23:40 > 0:23:43but, for whatever reason, memories associated with smell
0:23:43 > 0:23:46come a lot earlier - typically about six or seven years of age,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48but when we experience odours later on in life,
0:23:48 > 0:23:49we kind of have that trigger,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51that moment where it brings us right back
0:23:51 > 0:23:53to the original time they were experienced.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56- And, in fact, Rosebie, that's what you found, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- When people smell these roses. - Very much so.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I mean, it must be the most used expression I hear - you know,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04you put a rose under somebody's nose, and they go, "Wow!
0:24:04 > 0:24:07"That just takes me back to my grandmother's, or mother's garden,"
0:24:07 > 0:24:09- or whatever.- Yeah. - They can't believe it.- Yeah.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13It works for my generation, because I can remember roses in the garden,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16but it's not going to work for lots of kids now.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19My children, in their cars, they've got this stinking air freshener -
0:24:19 > 0:24:22you know, we want some natural, proper scents, like roses.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Smell for yourself -
0:24:26 > 0:24:30growers around the country are taking part in British Flowers Week.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33But this lot is destined for the city.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50From the fields of Hampshire...
0:24:51 > 0:24:53..to the heart of London.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57A good proportion of Rosebie's flowers come here,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59to New Covent Garden Flower Market,
0:24:59 > 0:25:04the only dedicated wholesale flower and plant market in the country.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08It's six o'clock in the morning, and the place is buzzing.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14There are buyers and sellers and flowers from all over the country,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16like these stocks from Cambridgeshire,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18which don't just look beautiful...
0:25:18 > 0:25:20they smell divine.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Ooh!
0:25:25 > 0:25:28And whether they're from Sussex or the Scillies,
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Norfolk or Guernsey, they're a riot of colour and scent.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37There are flowers here from all over the world,
0:25:37 > 0:25:41but it's the UK flowers that are really creating the buzz.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And they're championed by two stalwarts of the market -
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Mick Waite of Pratley Flowers...
0:25:50 > 0:25:53and Graeme Diplock from Zest.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54- Hi, Graeme.- Hi.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57Why do you specialise in British flowers?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00The flowers are picked literally a day, two days ago -
0:26:00 > 0:26:03they're as fresh as you're going to get, and they're local.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07There's varieties of flowers you don't get in Holland or Colombia,
0:26:07 > 0:26:09or wherever you want to be.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Everything's a little bit late, cos of the little cold spring we had,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16so I'm about three weeks behind where I should be.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Sweet Williams have just started.
0:26:18 > 0:26:19So, where are these from?
0:26:19 > 0:26:21- These are Spalding. - Spalding, OK.- Yeah, yeah.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23So, they've not come too far. Look at that!
0:26:23 > 0:26:24So, all these little buds, here,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27they'll all open up into a little flower like this.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28That is absolutely gorgeous -
0:26:28 > 0:26:30and how long will the season for these Sweet Williams last?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33That will go on for about eight weeks.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35People would rather buy British flowers.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38It's like with the food - everybody wants British local food,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41they want local produce, so, yeah, it's great.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43- I'm passionate about what I do. - Yeah.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45So, if I can promote English flowers,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47it's something we're good at, why not do it?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Look at the green fields we've got.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Why not do what we're good at?
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Last year, more than 220,000 boxes of flowers,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59worth around £56 million, passed through the market.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Buyers come here from all over the country,
0:27:02 > 0:27:06from supermarkets, hotel chains and specialist florists,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09like Ellie Jauncey and Anna Day,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12who've turned a passion for flowers into a business.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15As it's British Flowers Week,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17I've asked Anna and Ellie to come up with something
0:27:17 > 0:27:19a little out of the ordinary to mark the occasion.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Hello, ladies.- Hi!- Hi!
0:27:23 > 0:27:24- How are you doing?- Good.- Good.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26Oh, look at these fantastic flowers!
0:27:26 > 0:27:28What is it about British bloom?
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I know the two of you particularly like using British flowers,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33- don't you - why? - There's something about them -
0:27:33 > 0:27:35they've just got a different quality, we think,
0:27:35 > 0:27:37to imported flowers.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39They often have a really lovely scent.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Flowers that have come from really far away can lose their scent a bit.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44The other thing about British flowers
0:27:44 > 0:27:47is, this is very different from what you see at the rest of the market.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50The kind of cultivated flowers from further afield
0:27:50 > 0:27:53wouldn't travel so well.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56The delicacy and the lightness and the bounce that they have
0:27:56 > 0:27:59is like a different feel to cultivated flowers, I think.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01So, what's the plan?
0:28:01 > 0:28:03We thought we'd show you how to make
0:28:03 > 0:28:06your very own British flower headdress
0:28:06 > 0:28:09using all these wonderful British flowers.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12What do we need to pick for this wonderful headdress?
0:28:12 > 0:28:16Well, let's just choose a selection of anything you like the look of.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I'm choosing sweet peas that smell divine,
0:28:20 > 0:28:22dramatic gouda rose,
0:28:22 > 0:28:24some vibrant campion,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27garlicky alliums,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29and delicate scilla.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32All British, and mostly from Rosebie.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36I'm going to feel like I'm in A Midsummer Night's Dream, aren't I?
0:28:36 > 0:28:38- Shall we head back? - Yeah, let's.- Yeah.
0:28:38 > 0:28:39Let's get creating.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Just as the rest of the city's getting up for work,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48we're off to Anna and Ellie's studio
0:28:48 > 0:28:51and I can't believe the riot of colour and scent
0:28:51 > 0:28:53that hits my senses.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58This floral headdress is going to be something else.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00These are all the things that you need -
0:29:00 > 0:29:02so, we're going to start with this little allium.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04I'm going to go for a bit of gouda.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06I might go for one of those, as well, then.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08- How's that?- That's great.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11- So, then you put you first flower there...- Mm-hm.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14..and fix it on nice and tight...
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- OK.- ..and go down kind of at a slight diagonal...
0:29:18 > 0:29:20..and then you go back up again.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22This is really therapeutic!
0:29:22 > 0:29:24I'm really enjoying myself!
0:29:28 > 0:29:29It's hard to work and talk
0:29:29 > 0:29:32but we find there's often silence in our workshops.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35"Oh, gosh is everyone having a good time?" And then we look around and
0:29:35 > 0:29:37everyone is so consumed with what they're doing.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42That's a good one.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- You need one more. Do you want a gouda?- Yes, please.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48Let's finish the way we started.
0:29:50 > 0:29:51Yes.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- So, which way does it go? - That's good.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04- That looks so great.- Does it? - Yeah, it really does.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Have a look in the mirror.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09It's really pretty. Yours is gorgeous. I love it.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11You can enjoy flowers not just in a vase, you can
0:30:11 > 0:30:15get out into your garden and make a headdress. It's easy.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28I'm walking the old pack horse trails through
0:30:28 > 0:30:30the New Forest in Hampshire.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34There's beauty at every turn and surprises too.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Like this gigantic arrow.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40But why is it here?
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Well, the answer lies in the Second World War.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Back then the New Forest was one huge practice range for the RAF.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54This arrow, and markers like it all across the forest,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58pointed the way for pilots carrying one devastating weapon,
0:30:58 > 0:31:00the earthquake bomb.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04In the final days of the war, before the atom bomb was dropped,
0:31:04 > 0:31:06the 22,000lb earthquake bomb
0:31:06 > 0:31:09was the most destructive weapon to be deployed.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14But before it could be used in war, it had to be tested at home.
0:31:16 > 0:31:18They were designed to be dropped
0:31:18 > 0:31:22from very high altitudes in order to build speed as they fell.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Upon impact they would penetrate deep into the ground sending
0:31:25 > 0:31:28severe shock waves through the earth.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32The tremendous explosion sends up a column of earth
0:31:32 > 0:31:34and smoke like a great inverted mountain.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40The arrow was vital in guiding the pilots to the practice targets
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and even today you can see evidence in the landscape of where
0:31:43 > 0:31:45those bombs dropped. And, Gail, even though
0:31:45 > 0:31:49they were practice bombs, they still had some impact, didn't they?
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Yes, one of the locals was telling me that the biggest bomb that
0:31:53 > 0:31:58was ever detonated over British soil was detonated here.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00And the villagers locally were told to keep their windows
0:32:00 > 0:32:03and doors open because of the shock wave
0:32:03 > 0:32:06but apparently they forgot to tell people in Fordingbridge and...
0:32:06 > 0:32:08Right. What happened?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Apparently people's windows and doors imploded
0:32:10 > 0:32:12and someone's roof fell down.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16- Whoa.- So it must have packed a real punch.- Yeah.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24The craters left behind by the blasts filled with water.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Out of the destruction came hundreds of little ponds.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33Over time, nature has reclaimed them, adding to the diversity
0:32:33 > 0:32:37of the forest habitat and creating the perfect watering holes for Josh.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39You can have a little drink here.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Each year in the UK we produce nearly 30,000 tonnes of wool.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Shearing is one of the busiest times in the farming calendar
0:32:51 > 0:32:53and Adam is just getting started.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01As the temperatures start to warm up the sheep on the farm no
0:33:01 > 0:33:03longer need their winter woolly coats.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06They can get undressed for the summer.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10We've got 650 sheep that all need shearing over the next few weeks.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16Keeping their woolly coats on for too long can cause health problems.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20So in the lead up to shearing we keep a close eye on them.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22We check around all our livestock every day
0:33:22 > 0:33:24and, at this time of year,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27we have to be particularly vigilant with the sheep.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31You can see on this ewe here where the wool
0:33:31 > 0:33:33is starting to come away from her neck.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36The old fleece is breaking away from the new one
0:33:36 > 0:33:38and she'll start to get really itchy.
0:33:38 > 0:33:39SHEEP BLEATS
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Let me show you how serious this can be.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56What happens when they've got a full fleece like this
0:33:56 > 0:33:59is they start scratching and they lie down and they scratch
0:33:59 > 0:34:03and scratch and then they roll onto their backs and as the wool
0:34:03 > 0:34:09is such a weight it holds them down and they get stuck like that.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13And then their stomachs swell up, put pressure on their lungs
0:34:13 > 0:34:15and they die.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18So she's now lost. She can't get back up.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21The heavier the fleece, the bigger the problem.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24If you're driving around the countryside or walking on the
0:34:24 > 0:34:27hills and you see a sheep stuck on its back,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31do the farmer a favour and just roll it back onto its feet, hold
0:34:31 > 0:34:34it steady for a little while while it steadies itself
0:34:34 > 0:34:37and then it will run away. You'll save the animal's life.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Come on, missus.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48This flock won't need shearing for another week or so,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52but I'm ready to get started on some of my other sheep.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Time to don the non-slip shearing shoes.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Come on, missus. Out you come.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04The skill of shearing...
0:35:05 > 0:35:08..is really about handling the sheep.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10They don't like being handled so you twist the heads and
0:35:10 > 0:35:15sit them down. And then you get them into the correct position.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Get them comfortable. You can then use your hands to move the shears.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25This doesn't hurt the sheep at all.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29It's just like having your hair cut with clippers at the barbers.
0:35:29 > 0:35:31So it's got a comb and a cutter
0:35:31 > 0:35:34and it basically just slides over the surface of the sheep's skin,
0:35:34 > 0:35:39combing in all the fibres of the wool and then clipping it off.
0:35:39 > 0:35:42It's a bit like having a massage really, I think.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44SHEEP BLEATS
0:35:44 > 0:35:45It takes quite a long time
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and a lot of practice to become a professional shearer.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50And you can go on shearing courses in this country
0:35:50 > 0:35:54and the skill is not only holding the sheep still
0:35:54 > 0:35:58but trying to get the fleece off all in one piece.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01That's really important because if it comes off as one then it can be
0:36:01 > 0:36:05graded as an individual fleece and you get more money for it.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13There we are. That's her done. Shorn for this year.
0:36:13 > 0:36:18The world record for shearing a sheep is something like 38 seconds.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20Takes me three or four minutes.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27It takes even longer with some of my woollier breeds.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38The Dartmoor fleece is really lovely. It's beautiful wool.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42The warmth from her body will warm up the air in between all
0:36:42 > 0:36:43those little fibres.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46And it's covered in this grease that keeps them dry, just sheds water.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50So it's like wearing a greasy duvet all day long which is
0:36:50 > 0:36:53why at this time of year they're delighted to get rid of it.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58It wasn't very long ago that wool was valueless.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01It cost more to pay a shearer to get the wool off the sheep's back
0:37:01 > 0:37:03than the fleece was actually worth.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06And you pay the shearer about £1.50 and then you've got to pay
0:37:06 > 0:37:09the diesel to get it to the Wool Marketing Board.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12It was such a shame. Back then some people were burning their wool.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Now the price has lifted a bit, which is a good thing.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18But there's still the huge variance
0:37:18 > 0:37:20in the quality of the different breeds.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24So if you take a Herdwick here, they've got very coarse wool
0:37:24 > 0:37:29that's not worth very much, about 25p a kilo. And it's quite light.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33This is probably only a couple of kilos so this fleece is worth 50p.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34So hardly worth shearing,
0:37:34 > 0:37:38whereas this Dartmoor fleece is much better quality.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41This is worth about 80 pence a kilo and there's a lot more wool here.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Dartmoor wool is quite heavy, this is about six kilos.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49So that's worth about £4.50 to a fiver.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52So really I can make money out of this. But not out of this.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Over the years,
0:37:56 > 0:37:59some farmers have given up on wool completely.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02In the 1960s one farmer had the bright idea to breed
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Easy Care Sheep that don't need shearing.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09They shed their fleece naturally so don't get stuck on their backs.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12My neighbour Tanya Robbins has been selectively breeding
0:38:12 > 0:38:13some into her own flock.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18- Hi, Tanya.- Hello, Adam. - How are you doing?- Good thanks.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20These look lovely. How long have you had Easy Care Sheep?
0:38:20 > 0:38:24- About five or six years.- And why did you decide to have these?
0:38:24 > 0:38:26The fact that they shed their own wool
0:38:26 > 0:38:28we weren't really making any money out of the wool.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32It cost us more for the shearers than we'd get for the wool
0:38:32 > 0:38:34so that's why we started to look at them.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36So as far as the management of them goes for their fleece,
0:38:36 > 0:38:38you just leave them, do you?
0:38:38 > 0:38:43Yes. Yeah, that's right. You can see it starts this time of year.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46As I look at them it looks like they're taking their jackets off.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49It starts under their necks so bits start coming off.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Do you mind it dropping out all over the fields? Does that bother you?
0:38:52 > 0:38:53No, it doesn't bother me.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55The fact that they don't lose it all in one go,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58it comes out in bits and some days you might look
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and I think, "Oh, dear, there's a bit of wool here."
0:39:01 > 0:39:04And then you see the birds come down and pick a bit off and
0:39:04 > 0:39:07- line their nests with it. - It's quite lovely.- Yeah.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09And are their any disadvantages?
0:39:10 > 0:39:12One is you go to grab your sheep...
0:39:13 > 0:39:16And all of the sudden all you're left with is a bit of wool.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Nothing to get hold of. And that's it, apart from that you love them?
0:39:20 > 0:39:21Yeah.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33I can certainly see the advantages of Easy Care Sheep
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and you can't deny the cost savings.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39But I really want to continue supporting the wool industry,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41it's such a lovely product.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43I just wish it was worth a little bit more.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46Our Herdwick wool is where we make the least money.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48So I'm keen to see
0:39:48 > 0:39:51if there's any other way to use it that might turn a profit.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54Justin and Hannah Floyd are from the Solid Wool Company.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57What they do is in the name - they've invented a unique
0:39:57 > 0:40:01and top secret way to solidify wool to make furniture.
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- Hi, guys.- Hi, Adam. Nice to meet you.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06Thanks very much for bringing this out here.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08This is made from wool?
0:40:08 > 0:40:10This is made from 50% Herdwick wool from the Lake District
0:40:10 > 0:40:12and the rest is bioresin
0:40:12 > 0:40:16so it's a composite material made from rough coarse Lakeland wool.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20I didn't imagine it to look like this at all. It's incredible.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23I thought it was going to be all prickly and felt-y.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It's extraordinary to think you've gone from this to this.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30Herdwick wool is very coarse and rough and wiry.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33And we found that it makes a great reinforcement.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38The coarseness of the wool is strong, the wiriness means it adheres
0:40:38 > 0:40:42to the resin well, allows us to make a really strong reinforcement.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45- I'm really impressed. Is it popular? - Yeah, it's been incredible.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48We've had interest from across the world, from the automotive
0:40:48 > 0:40:50industry to the surf industry.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55We've sent chairs to San Francisco, to New York and Europe
0:40:55 > 0:40:59and even up to the Lake District so it's come full circle.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01What's your background? How did you get into this?
0:41:01 > 0:41:05I'm a product design engineer by profession and Hannah is marketing.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09And we started the business in our hometown in Buckfastleigh to try
0:41:09 > 0:41:12and find a way of bringing manufacturing back into the town
0:41:12 > 0:41:14- and supporting the local farmers. - It's a great story.
0:41:14 > 0:41:16It's lovely for British wool.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19It is and that's one of the things we're trying to do is to take
0:41:19 > 0:41:22these rough, coarse wools which are undervalued
0:41:22 > 0:41:25and almost a waste material.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27If this really takes off it has potential to change
0:41:27 > 0:41:30the value off what is the lowest value wool in the UK at the moment.
0:41:30 > 0:41:31That's just fantastic.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33- Can I have a sit down?- Please do.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37Sitting on a chair like this and knowing it has
0:41:37 > 0:41:40come from Herdwick wool of the Lakeland fells is great.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43We've taken the unwanted and turned it into something beautiful.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48- I can see why she's in marketing... - Yeah.- You're selling it to me.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51In fact we could get a cup of tea and some sandwiches
0:41:51 > 0:41:53- and have a bit of a picnic. - Lovely, yeah.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00It's great to see such exciting innovation.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Let's hope it can help play a part
0:42:02 > 0:42:05in bringing a new lease of life to the British wool industry.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17Tranquil.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Serene.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27The slow-moving River Test is one of Hampshire's great chalk streams.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33So calm and clear, isn't it?
0:42:33 > 0:42:35But don't be fooled by that sleepy surface
0:42:35 > 0:42:39because beneath it there lies real power.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44Power that in the past drove the wheels of industry.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49And here in Whitchurch it's harnessed still to make silk.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54So it's important to control the speed of the water
0:42:54 > 0:42:57and that's a job for Sue Tapliss.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00There are several sluices she can raise
0:43:00 > 0:43:04and lower to keep the wheel running at a constant speed.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Just as it has done since the 1880s.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11So we need to lower these sluices. So if you want to wind that down.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14OK. Here we go.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Whoo! My right bicep is getting a great workout.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21This is now backing up,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24creating a head of water underneath the water wheel sluice.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27- And that's how they control the power?- Yeah.- Very clever.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33The power provided by the river is what brought the mill here.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36Silk-makers moved out of London in the early 19th century
0:43:36 > 0:43:40when the cost of production in the city rocketed.
0:43:40 > 0:43:45Back then, as now, the raw material for silk production came from China.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50Richard Humphries has been weaving silk for 50 years. Hello, Richard.
0:43:50 > 0:43:51Hello.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54And is a member of the Worshipful Company of Weavers,
0:43:54 > 0:43:57the very oldest of the City of London's guilds.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01- Where does silk come from? - This is the cocoon
0:44:01 > 0:44:04from the Bombyx mori silk worm.
0:44:04 > 0:44:06And this is native to China
0:44:06 > 0:44:10and there's up to one mile of continuous filament silk
0:44:10 > 0:44:12on that cocoon.
0:44:12 > 0:44:15And you put this in hot, soapy water,
0:44:15 > 0:44:17and gradually you can start to unravel it.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19Let me get my head around this, Richard.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23- So that is the origin of silk... - That's your lovely silk saris
0:44:23 > 0:44:28and blouses are made from this very insect's life's toil.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30But who on earth saw that
0:44:30 > 0:44:34and figured out that you could make silk from that?
0:44:34 > 0:44:38The Empress Xi Lingshi, 5,000 years ago.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40So legend would have it
0:44:40 > 0:44:44she was sitting underneath a white mulberry tree
0:44:44 > 0:44:47and one of these plopped into her tea and she realised
0:44:47 > 0:44:50that the silk thread was just floating on top of her tea.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53And as she started to pull,
0:44:53 > 0:44:55the cocoon began to unravel,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59and it is said there and then, that was the silk industry invented.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01- It's a wonderful story.- It is.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Once the raw silk thread is obtained it's turned into fabric
0:45:07 > 0:45:10using the original 19th-century machinery,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12much of which is still powered by the waterwheel.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18This mill was operating commercially right up to 1985.
0:45:18 > 0:45:23It's now a museum, although it's now making top-quality fabric.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28It's a painstaking process.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31First, the long, slender threads are loaded onto bobbins.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34These bobbins are then arranged in the right order,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and then passed through three combs,
0:45:37 > 0:45:40each one finer than the one before,
0:45:40 > 0:45:44a job that needs a keen eye and a nifty touch.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47So if you put the tool in from this side...
0:45:47 > 0:45:51I'm just taking it all in, because that is so thin,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54and there's already so many threads. You need really good eyesight,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56you need nimble fingers,
0:45:56 > 0:45:58and presumably back in the day
0:45:58 > 0:46:00- you'd have to work very fast as well.- Yeah.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02Now, I thought I had 20/20 vision,
0:46:02 > 0:46:05but now I can see... OK, here we go.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- That one. There we go. We're in. - That's right.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12- Just pull that.- Just pull and it comes through.- There we go. Ha-hey!
0:46:12 > 0:46:15This is really labour-intensive,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18time-consuming, intricate work.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23- Yes, very.- You can really appreciate why it's such a luxury.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Next, the fine strands are wound twice
0:46:25 > 0:46:28before they're finally ready for transferring to the loom.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31This is where the magic happens.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33The threads become fabric.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35- Can we switch it on?- Yeah.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38- So if we get our ear defenders ready...- Is it that loud?
0:46:38 > 0:46:39Yes. It is very loud.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42- So how did they communicate back in the day?- They learned to lip-read.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45Really? So they'd just mouth to each other across the room?
0:46:45 > 0:46:47"Cup of tea?"!
0:46:47 > 0:46:49All right, let's try it, then.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Ear defenders on.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54LOUD CLATTERING
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Oh, yeah, that's seriously loud!
0:46:59 > 0:47:01So I'm just looking out for any broken threads...
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Can't hear a word you're saying!
0:47:03 > 0:47:06- You're looking out for what? - Broken threads!
0:47:06 > 0:47:09She's looking out for any broken threads!
0:47:11 > 0:47:12It's working really fast!
0:47:15 > 0:47:17The shuttle pulls a single thread through the others
0:47:17 > 0:47:19100 times a minute -
0:47:19 > 0:47:23so fast we need to slow it down to see it properly.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30Finally, those fine threads from the cocoons of tiny worms
0:47:30 > 0:47:32are transformed into this.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Silk just makes you think of luxury and decadence,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39and for me, it evokes feelings of femininity and gracefulness,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41because it makes me think of all those gorgeous saris
0:47:41 > 0:47:44that have been passed down through the generations.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46It's only after seeing this wonderful place
0:47:46 > 0:47:49and how it's been woven for centuries
0:47:49 > 0:47:51that I can truly appreciate it,
0:47:51 > 0:47:53and absolutely, it's earnt its reputation
0:47:53 > 0:47:56as one of the finest materials on earth.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02The heyday of the British silk industry may be long gone,
0:48:02 > 0:48:06but here by the River Test, the wheel still turns.
0:48:08 > 0:48:12And craftspeople continue to weave this beautiful fabric
0:48:12 > 0:48:14in time-honoured fashion.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Perfect paddling weather. But what about the future?
0:48:20 > 0:48:22Will it rain to swell this river
0:48:22 > 0:48:25so that that wonderful waterwheel will get powered?
0:48:25 > 0:48:27Here's the Countryfile forecast for the week ahead.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Today, we're in Hampshire,
0:50:13 > 0:50:16a county with a rich and varied landscape -
0:50:16 > 0:50:18delicate chalk streams,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20rich green fields,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22and charming thatched villages.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26It's the very essence of English rural life.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29So really the last thing you'd expect to see
0:50:29 > 0:50:31is a herd of water buffalo.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Natives of the Indian subcontinent,
0:50:37 > 0:50:40these impressive animals belong to farmer Dagan James.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47Dagan, I'm not very well-practised at approaching a buffalo.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49What's the etiquette?
0:50:49 > 0:50:51No jumping about, no shouting and screaming,
0:50:51 > 0:50:53generally they're going to stay nice and calm.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55They do seem very calm.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58I've got to ask you, Dagan, I mean...why?
0:50:58 > 0:51:01Why did you start farming water buffalo?
0:51:01 > 0:51:04I think a big part of it was to get livestock back onto the farm.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08It's a family farm, so we were in a really fortunate position
0:51:08 > 0:51:11to have the opportunity to take over the management of the farm
0:51:11 > 0:51:13about 15, 16 years ago.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16It's very, er, poor soil we've got here,
0:51:16 > 0:51:19not very productive without the use of fertilizer,
0:51:19 > 0:51:22so we were trying to find a way to
0:51:22 > 0:51:27- build the productivity of the soil by natural means.- Right.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30- So you thought, "Water buffalo is the key!"- Of course! What else?
0:51:31 > 0:51:34It's an animal that hasn't really been genetically improved or altered
0:51:34 > 0:51:36over the history.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39They're very, very hardy, very disease-resistant.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41The cows have their calves without any problems.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45Six to eight months with their mum - after that, they're bulletproof.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49These animals are here to do a job -
0:51:49 > 0:51:52to provide the all-important, all-natural manure needed
0:51:52 > 0:51:54to improve Dagan's land.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58And it all begins with their diet.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03We've got...
0:52:03 > 0:52:05tons of clover,
0:52:05 > 0:52:06fixing the nitrogen.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11These are anthelmintic, good against worms.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14And the cock's-foot grass, which you can see loads of -
0:52:14 > 0:52:16real traditional grass here, not so many people using it now,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19but it's coming back because it's so hardy
0:52:19 > 0:52:21and it's drought-resistant and it just grows and grows.
0:52:24 > 0:52:28We're using the grasslands to try and improve the soil
0:52:28 > 0:52:31by getting the right mixtures of plants which are helping the soil,
0:52:31 > 0:52:34by using the buffalo as, like, a management tool
0:52:34 > 0:52:36to enable that to happen.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40And the Buffalo have taken to their job with gusto,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43chomping and chewing their way through acre after acre.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48They've done their job. They're ready to go, I reckon.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51OK, well, show us the best way of moving a herd of buffalo!
0:52:51 > 0:52:55- I think I can undo the rope and you can take over from there, yeah?- OK.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04Dagan continually rotates each herd onto fresh patches of grass,
0:53:04 > 0:53:07a system known as mob grazing.
0:53:07 > 0:53:08HOOVES RUMBLING
0:53:08 > 0:53:10The noise!
0:53:11 > 0:53:15As these brilliant beasts graze and move around,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18they also trample vital nutrients back into the soil.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22- Calm as you like.- There you go. - Isn't that lovely?
0:53:24 > 0:53:26- These are young males, aren't they? - Yeah, these are all bulls.
0:53:26 > 0:53:30And we run the stock as bulls up to finish at two years old.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32- These are the best-behaved buffalo we've got.- Right.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35The young heifers, you know, the teenage girls,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37handful, man. Handful.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51Has it always been this kind of refined?
0:53:51 > 0:53:56No! This is a model that has taken much improving over the years.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07Looking at that view there, and in the afternoon sunshine,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10you would never believe you're in Hampshire.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19How protective are the mums? And is that quite a tricky time?
0:54:19 > 0:54:22- Mm, yeah.- I can imagine! - That's when we nearly die.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24The mothers are very, very protective,
0:54:24 > 0:54:27so you learn that and then you act with great caution.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30But again, they've got used to us being around them all the time,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33they've really calmed down since we started this grazing management.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39I mean, just look there now.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42You must be so proud of your animals.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45- I...yeah.- You must be, you must be, when you see that.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47They do it all, man, they do all the work.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54As much as Dagan loves his animals,
0:54:54 > 0:54:57these buffalo are destined for the dinner plate.
0:54:58 > 0:55:00Lower in cholesterol and leaner than beef,
0:55:00 > 0:55:04Dagan's buffalo meat is proving a hit in local restaurants.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Top chef Chris Heather serves it up at his place
0:55:10 > 0:55:12on the banks of the River Test.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19Well, I've seen how the buffalo is reared,
0:55:19 > 0:55:22now it's time for the taste test. Um, Chris. Look at that,
0:55:22 > 0:55:25that looks absolutely delicious. What have you done with this?
0:55:25 > 0:55:29This is honey-glazed and smoked buffalo carpaccio
0:55:29 > 0:55:32with a celeriac remoulade, sweet onions, tomato and pine nuts.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34OK. Here we go.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38- Oh, yeah. It is sweet!- It is.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41- Oh, my word.- Thanks for coming to try it - enjoy.- I am!
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Don't worry about that, I'm going to demolish the whole lot.
0:55:44 > 0:55:47'And right on cue, look who's turned up for dinner.'
0:55:47 > 0:55:48Anita, come on in!
0:55:48 > 0:55:51- Ooh, look at that.- Try this, right?
0:55:51 > 0:55:54- So you know where I was headed today?- Water buffalo farm.- Yeah.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Now the grassland that this animal
0:55:56 > 0:56:00- has been feeding on is something else.- Let's try that.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03I've had mozzarella and milk, but never the meat.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05Mmm! Mmm!
0:56:05 > 0:56:07- What do you think?- Smokey, lean...
0:56:07 > 0:56:09It's very light and dainty, isn't it?
0:56:09 > 0:56:11And not as strong as I thought it would be.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14- That's delicious.- There we are. That's all we've got time for
0:56:14 > 0:56:17from Hampshire. Next week, we're going to be in the East Midlands
0:56:17 > 0:56:20where I'll be taking a trip down the area's great river.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23And Helen will be discovering the region's foodie heritage.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25- Bye!- See you!