0:00:32 > 0:00:35Worcestershire - a county of contrasts.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Mature woodland, mighty rivers and acres of fruit orchards
0:00:40 > 0:00:43and farmland make up this decidedly rural county.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50I am at one of England's most stunning country houses -
0:00:50 > 0:00:53or it would have been, if it hadn't burnt down nearly 80 years ago.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Now what remains today are these spectacular ruins which still
0:00:57 > 0:01:00give us clues to a bygone age.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04In the north of the county is the Wyre Forest,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in Britain.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10You might think there isn't much going on in the woods at this
0:01:10 > 0:01:13time of year, but actually this place is teeming with life and
0:01:13 > 0:01:16some of it you will only find in this forest.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20But I am going to need this to help track it down.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23It's feeding time for the hogs...
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Pigs will eat anything
0:01:26 > 0:01:30and with millions of tonnes of food being thrown away every year,
0:01:30 > 0:01:35it seems logical to turn that into pig feed for these ladies.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39But not everyone is so keen on that idea. And I'll be finding out why.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43And with floods in the news,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46Adam's been seeing how farmers are really coping.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51This is one of the worst affected areas - the Somerset Levels.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53And the rural communities around here have seen
0:01:53 > 0:01:58flooding on a biblical scale. These should be fields, not a lake.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01I'm meeting up with a farmer who's battling on despite 95% of his farm
0:02:01 > 0:02:03being underwater.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Worcestershire in the late winter sun.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17Rolling fields carpet a patchwork landscape.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Traditional orchards dot the countryside.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Nestling in the shadows of the Malvern Hills, the rivers Severn
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and Avon carve their way through the county.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31And Worcestershire's got a lot more to offer than just its sauce.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36I am in Great Witley, ten miles to the north of Worcester,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39visiting a place once considered one of England's
0:02:39 > 0:02:41greatest country houses.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Now, one of our most spectacular ruins -
0:02:47 > 0:02:48Witley Court.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58It is absolutely immense.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01And from this perspective, I mean, you wouldn't necessarily know that
0:03:01 > 0:03:06it was a ruin, but it does have a haunting presence, you know.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09It's beautiful. But it's eerie.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Domesday Book records as far back as 1086 show the modest
0:03:17 > 0:03:22manor of Witley as being owned by a cousin of William the Conqueror.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24But it wasn't until the 19th century
0:03:24 > 0:03:27when owned by the Earls of Dudley that this place really came
0:03:27 > 0:03:31to life and became one of England's most impressive stately homes.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Historian Nick Molyneaux is telling me why.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Nick, this is certainly the day to see what was quite a creation,
0:03:39 > 0:03:42but when did this place become grand?
0:03:42 > 0:03:44It was the Foley family who built it in the first place
0:03:44 > 0:03:47as a really grand house in the earlier 18th century and
0:03:47 > 0:03:50they were the ones who made their money first in the Black Country
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and then invested it out here in the Worcestershire countryside.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Then it was taken over by the Earls of Dudley who
0:03:56 > 0:03:58invested their money from the Black Country.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02They take it on in 1837 and spent huge amounts of money
0:04:02 > 0:04:05in the 1850's and '60s to create this grand house that we see today.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08OK, we're talking about earning money in the Black Country.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09What did they do there?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12They owned mines, I think as many as 200 mines, some of them
0:04:12 > 0:04:14quite small and some of them large.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17And then they owned not just the raw materials,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21but the place of production so they owned a number of iron foundries.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24As we look out here, look at this view, it is
0:04:24 > 0:04:28absolutely delightful, how much of what we see would they have owned?
0:04:28 > 0:04:31I think that's a silly question, actually! The lot!
0:04:31 > 0:04:32THEY LAUGH
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Really?
0:04:34 > 0:04:39Not only did the Earls of Dudley own 14,000 acres of Worcestershire,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42they owned 25,000 acres throughout England.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45We are talking serious wealth!
0:04:45 > 0:04:48The family's home here at Witley Court reflected that. Dripping with
0:04:48 > 0:04:53lavish adornments, parties raged for days at a time within the opulence.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Eating exquisite food and dancing to the finest music,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59all in the grandest of company.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04In fact, a local lad was known to tinkle the ivories here on occasion.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08A young Edward Elgar, whose dad used to tune the Dudleys' piano.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12The court was particularly famous for its elaborate shooting parties
0:05:12 > 0:05:16attended by the Prince of Wales, later to become Edward VII.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Do you know, standing at the top of these steps,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24it's very easy to just transport yourself back in time.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27You could just imagine all the carriages sweeping up this
0:05:27 > 0:05:31grand drive and all the excitable maids tried to sneak a peek
0:05:31 > 0:05:34at the esteemed guests who were turning up.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39'A hint of the decadence we're talking about
0:05:39 > 0:05:41'is reflected in the church,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45'an opulence not usually given to a Church of England building.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Goodness me! Nick, I didn't expect this.
0:05:48 > 0:05:53Not content with having just the finest mansion, this house also had
0:05:53 > 0:05:56one of the finest baroque churches in the country.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59It has been kept in pristine condition by the local parishioners
0:05:59 > 0:06:02since the Dudleys were here.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04So where does all this design kind of originate from?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Because you don't walk in here and think "Worcestershire".
0:06:07 > 0:06:10No, you don't. We've got paintings on the ceiling from Italy.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12An organ up here.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- It's an organ that Handel, the great musician, played at himself.- Really?
0:06:16 > 0:06:21And finally, we have this fantastic gold-encrusted...
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Well, you might think it was plasterwork,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- but actually it is the very latest thing.- Go on.- Papier-mache.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- Is it?!- Yes.- Wow! And this is...? - Made in moulds.
0:06:29 > 0:06:30Is this all still original, then?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Yes, this is the real thing from the 18th century,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and you could buy it and stick it on your wall.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Quite clearly, with this amount of money,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41you could do whatever you wanted.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Every aspect of life here at Witley was lived on a grand scale,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49but it wasn't to last.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The Dudley fortunes built on the mining industry were on the wane
0:06:52 > 0:06:55due to foreign competition.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57In fact, it is said that there was
0:06:57 > 0:07:00an urn at the bottom of the stairs that the Earl would toss
0:07:00 > 0:07:04unpaid bills into on his way down to breakfast.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Now, they eventually sold this place in the 1920s to a local carpet
0:07:08 > 0:07:12manufacturer, but that family could only afford to run one wing.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15So the staff was dramatically cut
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and parts of the house were left abandoned.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24In the space of one September's night in 1937,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28its existence as a rich man's home changed for ever.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34A devastating fire ripped through the east wing.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37The rooms that once dripped with exquisite decorations
0:07:37 > 0:07:39went up in smoke.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Witley Court was never lived in again.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Lack of maintenance meant that the Victorian sprinkler system
0:07:49 > 0:07:51hadn't been looked after properly.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Mind you, it didn't help that the local fire brigade weren't used
0:07:54 > 0:07:59to such massive outbreaks and they parked over the fire hydrant.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Oh, dear.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Later, I'll be peeling back the centuries to get a sense
0:08:08 > 0:08:10of what this place was like in its heyday.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13And to get a rare glimpse of where the fire that signalled
0:08:13 > 0:08:16the end for this most stately of homes started.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Now, as we have heard before on Countryfile, every year,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24we throw away millions of tonnes of food in the UK.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28But could some hungry animals stop it all from going to waste?
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Nothing is as content as a pig in muck
0:08:37 > 0:08:41but, in recent years, the people who farm them have had something
0:08:41 > 0:08:45to celebrate too - pork prices are better and the British
0:08:45 > 0:08:49industry as a whole has a worldwide reputation for its high standards.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Everyone seems happier, including these hungry hogs.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55That insatiable appetite
0:08:55 > 0:08:58obviously means they get through a lot of food.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01In fact, feeding pigs is the biggest single
0:09:01 > 0:09:03item in the cost of rearing them.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06And on this small pig farm in Cheshire,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10the difference between expensive feed or cheaper feed is
0:09:10 > 0:09:12the difference between profit and loss.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Many pigs are currently fed on a diet of processed food,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21a large part of which is soya.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25It's not cheap, and because it is linked to the loss of South American
0:09:25 > 0:09:30rainforest, soya comes with its own environmental controversies.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32But closer to home,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36there might just be an untapped source of pig food created by us.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43We throw away 15 million tonnes of food every year, and a new campaign
0:09:43 > 0:09:48called the Pig Idea thinks we could be using this stuff a lot better.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Pig Idea.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57The Pig Idea is made up of a group of chefs, celebrities,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00environmentalists and food waste campaigners who have managed
0:10:00 > 0:10:04to generate quite a bit of publicity over the past few months.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Hands up - who's had some pork?
0:10:06 > 0:10:07CHEERING
0:10:07 > 0:10:12'I'm meeting author and co-founder of the campaign Tristram Stuart
0:10:12 > 0:10:16'to find out why he thinks we should put pigswill back on the menu.'
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They are walking food waste machines, aren't they?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21What exactly is pigswill?
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Pigswill is all the leftover kinds of food that we people haven't
0:10:25 > 0:10:27eaten and which pigs love to eat.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30They have very similar digestive systems to us
0:10:30 > 0:10:32and they can eat everything that we leave.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35So, why should we be feeding that to pigs again?
0:10:35 > 0:10:38What is the big idea behind your Pig Idea?
0:10:38 > 0:10:42We have an enormous problem globally and that is increasing food demand.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Particularly feed demand for an increasing production of livestock.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50It is putting huge pressure on ecosystems like the Amazon
0:10:50 > 0:10:52rainforest, which is being chopped down to grow more soy.
0:10:52 > 0:10:57We need to replace the use of those feeds with the kind of waste
0:10:57 > 0:11:01that at the moment is being chucked away as a valueless waste product
0:11:01 > 0:11:03but, in fact, is hugely valuable.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Are you being naive suggesting feeding swill to pigs?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Well, what we are proposing is to go forwards to a new
0:11:09 > 0:11:13era of centralised food waste recycling plants that are really
0:11:13 > 0:11:16safe, cook the food so it's totally sterile
0:11:16 > 0:11:20and safe for pigs to eat, and is properly regulated by the government.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24'Tristram's argument makes some sense,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27'but if it's that simple, why aren't we doing it already?'
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Everything from sprouting potatoes to bits of bacon rind
0:11:30 > 0:11:32goes into the tanks.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Well, in fact, we used to.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Historically, pigswill was a staple part of a pig's diet.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41The smell of the cooking swill is no perfume, but the pigs love it.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43And during World War II,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46it was essential for keeping pork in the ration book.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51The recipe for traditional pigswill is pretty simple - any waste food,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55could have come from your plate, the kitchen or a food manufacturer.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Because the thing about pigs is, unlike farm animals, say,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03sheep or cows, which are vegetarians, pigs are omnivores.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08So they will eat meat, fruit and vegetables, biscuits.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10You name it, they'll scoff it.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15So why did pigswill disappear from the menu?
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Well, in 2001, the foot-and-mouth crisis
0:12:18 > 0:12:21led to over six million animals being slaughtered.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24The whole outbreak is thought to have started
0:12:24 > 0:12:27because pigs were fed illegal swill.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30As a result, feeding stuff like this, kitchen waste,
0:12:30 > 0:12:35including meat, to pigs, was banned in Britain 2001
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and across the rest of the EU two years later.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Some food waste can already be legally fed to pigs,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47but what isn't allowed at the moment is feeding them
0:12:47 > 0:12:50anything that has come from domestic or catering kitchens,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53even ones where there is no meat.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Yet there are some people in the industry who like the idea
0:12:56 > 0:12:58of swill as a cheaper form of feed.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Gladys!
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Julian Price and his son Richard run a small free-range pig farm
0:13:03 > 0:13:06in Cheshire producing artisan sausages,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and they are keen to keep their cost down.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13- Do you already feed your pigs some leftover food?- Yes, we do.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16We try and feed them as much legal waste as we can.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And that varies depending on what time of the year it is.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21During the summer, we can manage to get hold of a lot more.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26So we get fruit and veg, we get brewers' grain, spent grain,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28we get bread waste from bakeries.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30And we get a lot of apples and stuff.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35So, during the summer, the waste can make up to maybe 70-80% of the diet.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39During the winter, we have to rely a little bit more on commercial feed.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43So what you think of the proposal behind the Pig Idea to enable
0:13:43 > 0:13:45you to feed swill as well?
0:13:45 > 0:13:49I think the idea behind the Pig Idea, which is to stop the terrible
0:13:49 > 0:13:53waste of waste that we currently have, is a great idea.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57As long as - you know, this is what they see as well very clearly -
0:13:57 > 0:14:01that waste is safe, that it has been processed correctly,
0:14:01 > 0:14:03then I am all for it.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05And how do you think it would help you in your business?
0:14:05 > 0:14:07It would help my business enormously
0:14:07 > 0:14:09because it would bring down the cost of feed.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11In the two years that I've been doing this,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13the cost of feed has gone up 30%.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17It would literally, with us, make the difference between losing money
0:14:17 > 0:14:20and breaking even or actually making a profit.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23But even before disease led to the ban, there was
0:14:23 > 0:14:26another issue with pigswill - the flavour.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Some farmers say it made their pig taste of fish.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32Others thought it led to spicier pork.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35So could the same thing happen today?
0:14:36 > 0:14:38What kind of things have actually gone into it?
0:14:38 > 0:14:41They had things like lettuce, carrots,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44they had lots of whey, tofu, which was a by-product from a tofu farm.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And even some beer slops, which they thought were great, too.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50'I'm doing a taste test with restaurateur and Pig Idea
0:14:50 > 0:14:55'campaigner Thomasina Miers and her legal waste-fed pork.'
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Is it not possible, though, that if you feed pigs waste,
0:14:58 > 0:15:00some of the taste of that waste will get into the meat
0:15:00 > 0:15:02and it might not taste that great?
0:15:02 > 0:15:03Oh, no, no, no, the very contrary.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08As a chef, the idea that a pig will be eating delicious slops of whey
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and beer and vegetables, I mean, that's a great thing.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14That means their diet is going to have many more tastes in it than
0:15:14 > 0:15:17the kind of mass-produced grain.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19So, here we are. Here's some we made earlier.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22That's a very simple dinner, isn't it? Two large bits of meat.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- I'm loving it!- Yeah.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I will cut some off here.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30I'll give it a go straightaway.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Very good. Proper pork flavour, nothing I would say that is unusual.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39You know, no taint of anything that came from the waste.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42'It does of course depend exactly on what the pigs are eating,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46'but waste-fed pork has passed the taste test in other countries.'
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Japan, South Korea and some states in the USA
0:15:49 > 0:15:52all endorse feeding swill to their pigs
0:15:52 > 0:15:56as long as the waste is boiled and sterilised before being consumed.
0:15:56 > 0:16:02So, feeding swill to pigs might cut food waste, reduce the cost
0:16:02 > 0:16:06of rearing pigs in the first place and help struggling pig farmers.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07And, on top of all that,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11I can tell you that the waste-fed pork tastes pretty good.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14But as I will be finding out later,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18not everyone thinks the Pig Idea is a great idea.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26At first glance,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29a winter woodland might not appear to be a hive of activity.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31But delve a little deeper
0:16:31 > 0:16:36and you will be amazed at what secrets lie waiting to be discovered.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40This is the Wyre Forest, 6,000 acres or 2,500 hectares
0:16:40 > 0:16:43of stunning ancient woodland.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46I've been invited to join the forest study group,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50a dedicated team of super-sleuth wildlife detectives
0:16:50 > 0:16:53investigating the mysteries of the natural world.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55And I've come prepared.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Harry Green has spent the last 20 years
0:17:01 > 0:17:04crawling around on his hands and knees in the fallen
0:17:04 > 0:17:08leaves of West Worcestershire to search for teeny, tiny creatures.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Right, Harry, what exactly are we looking for?
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Well, we're looking amongst the leaf litter here for tiny little
0:17:17 > 0:17:19things called land caddis.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21They're curious little insects
0:17:21 > 0:17:25and the larvae live in small cases only a few millimetres long.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28You've got these little slightly curved cases made up
0:17:28 > 0:17:31of grains of soil and bits of leaf litter.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Caddis flies are normally found on the water.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Why are these here on the land?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Well, it's a difficult question to answer.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42We've got about 200-odd species of caddis in this country
0:17:42 > 0:17:45and there's only one species here which lives on land.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49And they live amongst litter. It has to be fairly moist.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53- Do you find land caddis all over the country?- No, you don't.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56When we first started looking for these, they were found in Wyre
0:17:56 > 0:17:59and round about, going down to the city of Worcester in that area.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02They have not been found anywhere else in the country.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04I came prepared because they are very small.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- You don't seem impressed by this piece of kit!- Well, I thought
0:18:07 > 0:18:09I ought to have brought my deerstalker hat to go with that!
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Right. I need... Actually, I don't even need that. Is this one?
0:18:16 > 0:18:17Aren't you a clever girl?
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Yes, first leaf you've turned over and there's an old land caddis case.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Right, I'm going to keep going.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Another wee beastie bedding down under the trees is the slightly
0:18:29 > 0:18:31easier to spot lemon slug.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35Its vivid yellow colour makes it a fascinating creature to discover.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40It's not just the creepy crawlies that are getting special attention.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42The secrets of the trees themselves are being
0:18:42 > 0:18:45investigated and getting the full forensic treatment.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Clocking up 20 years in the study group, Mike Averill.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55He likes to spend his summers surveying dragonflies,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59but on this wintry day, he is here to measure the impressive Catshill
0:18:59 > 0:19:01sweet chestnut tree.
0:19:02 > 0:19:07- Mike, what a stunning tree. - Hello, yes. It's a fabulous tree.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10It's probably about 450 years old, we think.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13And what do you learn by measuring it?
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Well, it tells us how much the tree has progressed over the years,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20whether it is decaying, where the branches are dropping off.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22It's like a health check. An MOT, if you like.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25We measure it at regular intervals every ten years or so
0:19:25 > 0:19:30- and we measure it at this set height.- Right, well, let me help.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33If ever a tree were going to be in Harry Potter, this is it.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39We know the last time we measured it officially it was 9.6.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42I think we're going to be something like 9.7.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45It's a slow-grower.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49This tree has expanded ten centimetres in ten years.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Sometimes trees can actually reduce in their diameter,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55because they decay and bits drop off.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59So that's probably about right for a tree of this age.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- Can anybody measure and register a tree?- Absolutely.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07If anybody thinks they have found an ancient tree or a sizeable tree,
0:20:07 > 0:20:11all they need to do is take a photograph, get a measurement
0:20:11 > 0:20:16of the girth, and send it into their local biological record centre.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Some of our major detectives
0:20:20 > 0:20:22are always on the trail of another mystery.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Former teacher Rosemary Winnall is dedicated to recording
0:20:26 > 0:20:29the Wyre Forest's wildlife wonders.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31But keeping a close watch on her own garden
0:20:31 > 0:20:34led to a remarkable fungi find.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Well, I first saw it in the year 2000
0:20:37 > 0:20:40and I didn't recognise it as a species I knew.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45So I sent some specimens off to the mycological research lab in
0:20:45 > 0:20:50Kew Gardens, and the experts wrote back and told me it was a waxcap.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54They said they thought it was a relation of the parrot waxcap,
0:20:54 > 0:20:59but it was only last year when Martyn Ainsworth did his DNA
0:20:59 > 0:21:02project into waxcaps and earth tongues
0:21:02 > 0:21:05that he recognised that it was completely new to science.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- Isn't that good?- Completely new? - Yes, new species.
0:21:08 > 0:21:13- How long ago was this?- Well, it's been up now for two weeks.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15I took that photograph a week ago
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and we have had some frosty nights, and look, look what's happened.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22- I think it's over its best, don't you?- In two weeks?- Yes.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24So what is this called?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27This has been named Gliophorus reginii.
0:21:27 > 0:21:32- Gliophorus reginii?- Yes. - And can you eat them?
0:21:32 > 0:21:33No, I don't think so.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35I know you will never forgive me
0:21:35 > 0:21:39if I don't say this is what it looks like at its best.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48This place is a real treasure chest, isn't it?
0:21:48 > 0:21:51What else have you found around here?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Well, you won't believe this, but one day last summer,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58I spotted a water shrew just in that little pond just there.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59So you've been here 15 years.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01How many times have you seen a water shrew?
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Once. Last year, just there.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06It's amazing you managed to get a photograph.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I got the photograph to prove it.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11You can tell a water shrew by looking at the colouration.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14The division between the black upper fur
0:22:14 > 0:22:17and the white belly fur is very distinctive.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18I've got a remote camera there
0:22:18 > 0:22:21which, wonderfully, has a close-up lens attachment.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25So it means now that I can film small mammals.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27Obviously, I am hoping for a water shrew.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Whether one will come back here again, I don't know.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31But in the meantime,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I'm getting some lovely pictures of common shrew and pygmy shrew.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38- That's good.- Your own reality TV series going on right down here.- Yes!
0:22:38 > 0:22:40Cameras catching anything going on.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44It's a little mini world down there with all sorts of surprises.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49And this is the latest from Rosemary's hidden camera,
0:22:49 > 0:22:50a wood mouse.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54Fellow shrews and a wren have all taken the bait here.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58Far from being a quiet season, it's worth looking carefully
0:22:58 > 0:23:00when you're out and about this winter.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Who knows what other mysteries are out there?
0:23:12 > 0:23:14I'm at Witley Court,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18an architectural gem built on the riches of the Industrial Revolution.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Country home to the Earls of Dudley, who were famous for their parties.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25Before a devastating fire stripped it of its riches,
0:23:25 > 0:23:27this place oozed wealth and luxury.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31Not only was it famed for its lavish parties
0:23:31 > 0:23:33but also for its extravagant gardens,
0:23:33 > 0:23:37created by leading landscape designer William Nesfield.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41The star being its huge Perseus and Andromeda fountain.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48The great and good would gather on the steps overlooking
0:23:48 > 0:23:50the garden to see the spectacle.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57The main jet is said to have reached a height of 36 metres,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00making the noise of an express train when in full flow.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Whilst the fountain remains majestic, sadly,
0:24:05 > 0:24:07the same can't be said for the house.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14So the disastrous fire of 1937 may well have robbed England
0:24:14 > 0:24:18of one of its finest stately homes, but there is a lot more
0:24:18 > 0:24:22to this gigantic skeleton than these bare bones that you see before you.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32I'm going beneath its bones with tour guide Ann Baynton
0:24:32 > 0:24:36to see a side of Witley Court the public doesn't often see.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40You get a very different sense, don't you,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- when you're this side of that brick wall.- Yeah.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48And this is where there really would be a hive of activity all the time.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Just along to the right here, we have the butler's room.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59And of course the butler's room was here
0:24:59 > 0:25:02because immediately opposite, we have the wine cellar.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04We've got the lovely wine bays here.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09With a capacity of around 6,500 bottles,
0:25:09 > 0:25:11this lot really knew how to throw a bash.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17When they had their grand parties here, it would have been a busy area.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19It would have been the motorway, really, along here.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22You can just imagine folk passing with things, and trays and stuff.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23That's right.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29From the kitchen, food would have been taken down to the food
0:25:29 > 0:25:34holding room, and from there, taken to the dining room and the ballroom.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40'The Earl of Dudley's wife, Lady Rachel,
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'had her own sunken bathroom here in the east wing.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'And believe me, this is one heck of an en suite.'
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- Oh, gosh, yeah!- You get a good idea, actually, of how...
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Oh, I'd be in now. Oh, I'd probably just...
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Yeah, I'd probably just turn round and push off and do a backstroke.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Yeah, that's lovely, isn't it?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Oh, can you imagine the opulence of just kind of coming
0:26:02 > 0:26:07down these marble stairs into this glorious hot bath with the fire on?
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Yeah, absolutely. Money was no expense.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Ohh! "Bring us a bottle of wine, would you, from that store room."
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Oh, yes!
0:26:17 > 0:26:22'But it was down this corridor that fateful night in 1937
0:26:22 > 0:26:25'that Witley's days of grandeur went up in flames.'
0:26:27 > 0:26:31The bakery is where the fire started. It really caught hold
0:26:31 > 0:26:36because there weren't many people on site at the time in the building.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- So nobody knew it was going on, then?- No.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43The fire ripped the heart from the house.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49The dining room, once adorned with the latest Louis XV styling,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52home to so many elaborate meals, was reduced to tatters.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57The magnificent ballroom, where many tripped the light fantastic,
0:26:57 > 0:26:58is now a shell.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03And the endless entrance hall that once welcomed,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06a hollow reminder of the days of privilege.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10During the 1950s and '60s,
0:27:10 > 0:27:14the whole estate was threatened with demolition several times
0:27:14 > 0:27:17amid plans of turning this place into a housing estate,
0:27:17 > 0:27:23a caravan park and, believe it or not, a Grand Prix circuit.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25But it survived all of that,
0:27:25 > 0:27:30and the grounds have now been designated as an ancient monument.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Hopefully, this historic show-stopping ruin
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and its bare walls evocative of a life of privilege
0:27:36 > 0:27:38will stand for many years to come.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Earlier, we heard about a new campaign to bring pigswill back
0:27:50 > 0:27:54into the farmyard, but it is not without controversy. Here's Tom.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Pigs aren't picky when it comes to food, and now a determined
0:28:01 > 0:28:05group of chefs, celebrities and campaigners want to feed them
0:28:05 > 0:28:08with the millions of tonnes of food waste that we create every year.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10They call it the Pig Idea.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12CHEERING
0:28:12 > 0:28:16They say it's simple - bring back pigswill,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20food waste which includes catering waste like this bread here.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24It's hoped that would do two things - bring down the cost
0:28:24 > 0:28:29of feeding pigs and also help deal with our food waste problem.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33It sounds like a good fit, but although some big producers
0:28:33 > 0:28:38support it, most of the big boys in the farming industry don't.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40OK, so what's happening with these guys now?
0:28:40 > 0:28:43We're going to give them some of their jabs, same as children
0:28:43 > 0:28:46have before they go to school to protect them from the outside world.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49'John Rigby is a large scale pork producer.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53'His Red Tractor-approved business was built up by his grandfather,
0:28:53 > 0:28:57'and in the past, they collected and fed pigswill to their herd.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00'Today, it's a different story.'
0:29:00 > 0:29:04So, John, what do you think of the idea of returning to feeding swill?
0:29:04 > 0:29:09I am rather anti returning to swill for quite a lot of reasons.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13I think the issues over the feeding of meat...
0:29:13 > 0:29:17PIG SQUEALS ..and the recycling of meat
0:29:17 > 0:29:21within the animal feed industry
0:29:21 > 0:29:24came to a head with foot-and-mouth.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28It could happen again, and I am slightly worried that even
0:29:28 > 0:29:34visiting the subject again encourages part-time pig keepers,
0:29:34 > 0:29:39the cottage industry, to see it as a way of saving cost
0:29:39 > 0:29:42and recycling within their own domestic...
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Really? So you see real danger in this whole Pig Idea business?
0:29:44 > 0:29:47I see danger in the Pig Idea even discussing it.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Where is the traceability here?
0:29:49 > 0:29:52We don't know the origins of this product and, as such,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55I would be really, really unhappy feeding it to the pigs
0:29:55 > 0:29:58because I don't know the origins of the food now.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00I'd be really unhappy because the public wouldn't...
0:30:00 > 0:30:02I couldn't sell the pigs
0:30:02 > 0:30:04when I had finished producing the pigs feeding swill.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08I would be really unhappy because the UK pig industry would be ostracised
0:30:08 > 0:30:10and the price of British pigs would drop.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13It's not just disease that worries John.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17He's concerned about the impact on flavour, too, and seriously
0:30:17 > 0:30:21doubts that swill would be cheaper than other processed feed.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25His view is shared by many of those who run large pig farms
0:30:25 > 0:30:28and is also supported by the National Pig Association,
0:30:28 > 0:30:33who even go as far as to describe the practice of feeding swill
0:30:33 > 0:30:36to pigs as "cannibalistic".
0:30:36 > 0:30:40'Richard Longthorp is the chairman of the National Pig Association,
0:30:40 > 0:30:45'which represents more than 700 pig producers around the UK.'
0:30:45 > 0:30:48That's quite a generous bowl of breakfast cereal there, isn't it?
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Yeah, I'm not too sure I'd want to eat it!
0:30:50 > 0:30:53'I'm meeting him at a feed process plant just outside
0:30:53 > 0:30:57'Liverpool to find out what he thinks about the Pig Idea.'
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Feeding animals to other animals, cannibalism, if you want to call it
0:31:00 > 0:31:04that, clearly there are consumer perceptions
0:31:04 > 0:31:07and understandable consumer perceptions around doing that.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Currently, it doesn't take place, and I don't see consumers being
0:31:11 > 0:31:14ready to jump on a bandwagon of seeing a return to that.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18The major risk, of course, is the potential for exotic disease.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19Things like foot-and-mouth,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21classical swine fever, African swine fever,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25coming across in infected meat from the continent, from other
0:31:25 > 0:31:29places in the world, and being fed back to pigs or other animals.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32But would it not make feed potentially cheaper
0:31:32 > 0:31:34for pig producers, who you should be representing?
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Well, of course, any centrally and highly regulated swill
0:31:38 > 0:31:43feeding programme and process would bring with it additional cost.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Even if it was cheaper, the risk associated with feeding
0:31:47 > 0:31:52pigswill, in my opinion and that of others, the HVLA, government,
0:31:52 > 0:31:55the view is that risk is too great to take.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00The Pig Idea says the risks from risks from swill are unproven
0:32:00 > 0:32:01and overinflated.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05But with most of the industry so firmly against its return,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08is the campaign simply a "pig" waste of time?
0:32:10 > 0:32:12Well, not necessarily,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15as there is one important area where the industry
0:32:15 > 0:32:21and campaigners do see eye-to-eye - the use of more legal food waste.
0:32:21 > 0:32:23It is already happening at this factory.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28In fact, all the material in here, 500 tonnes of it, was originally
0:32:28 > 0:32:32destined for human consumption and is now going to make animal feed.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37And what is being thrown away is a real eye-opener.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40You've got mountains of breakfast cereal.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Cascades of crackers.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And even chocolate bars.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52They all get mixed together in a recipe to make a desirable
0:32:52 > 0:32:53dish for pigs.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59There are about are million tonnes of legal waste like this
0:32:59 > 0:33:02we could use to feed livestock in the UK every year.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07Not just dry stuff, but dairy products, fruit and vegetables, too.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10But we're still not using its full potential,
0:33:10 > 0:33:13so is this what we should be focusing on?
0:33:14 > 0:33:17A return to feeding swill seems like a step too far
0:33:17 > 0:33:19for the bulk of the industry.
0:33:19 > 0:33:24They are so worried about the safety and consistency of their product.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But even if this part of the Pig Idea fails,
0:33:27 > 0:33:31the campaign has at least helped highlight the huge amount
0:33:31 > 0:33:36of legal food waste that these hungry hogs could be eating now.
0:33:42 > 0:33:43HELEN: We've seen this week
0:33:43 > 0:33:45how flooding is really bad news for farming.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48In the Cotswolds, Adam is finding out how geology
0:33:48 > 0:33:50is at the bottom of it all.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Around 200 million years ago,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03the scene here would have been very different.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05It was the Jurassic period, like Jurassic Park,
0:34:05 > 0:34:07with all the dinosaurs.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09And it's thought the area would have had a shallow,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12warm sea across it, a bit like the Bahamas.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15And it's hard to imagine on a sort of classic Cotswold day
0:34:15 > 0:34:19like today, but if you look down, the clue is in the stone.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23And I quite often pick up fossilised echinoids.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26There's a little one and a big one there.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28They are basically fossilised starfish,
0:34:28 > 0:34:33and you can see the legs of the starfish there.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36And then, also, little bivalves as well,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40that shows that it was shellfish which are fossilised.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44You can quite clearly see the shell on that one.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46And, really, when it comes to farming,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50geology is very important, because it is a clue to the soil
0:34:50 > 0:34:52and how you can farm and what you can farm on it.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04Such stony ground sometimes presents problems, but after the wet weather
0:35:04 > 0:35:07of the past few months, that Cotswold stone has been a blessing.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Where this bank has been cut away, you can
0:35:12 > 0:35:15get a clear profile of what the land is like here.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17We're about 300m above sea level.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20With very little topsoil, it's quite thin on the surface
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and then it quickly goes down into this shaley stone and rock,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25right down to bedrock.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28So, in the summer months, we are bit prone to drought and this land
0:35:28 > 0:35:32dries out quickly, but in the winter, particularly like it is now,
0:35:32 > 0:35:35when we're getting lots of rain, it's very free draining,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39so if I get this bucket of water and pour it on, what happens is,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43the water just percolates all the way through these stones.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46And it'll run right down to the bedrock.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49And if I pour it on there, it's just like pouring it down the drain.
0:35:49 > 0:35:54It just disappears. And so we have got some wet patches on the farm.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55A few puddles lying around.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58But nothing in comparison to some farmers.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10This winter has been a wash-out of epic portions.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- NEWS REPORT:- Heavy rain and floods have been swamping part of the UK
0:36:16 > 0:36:18- since before Christmas. - Whole communities are shut off.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21More than 100 flood warnings remain in place as forecasters
0:36:21 > 0:36:22predict more heavy rain today.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Floods, they're destructive, expensive
0:36:25 > 0:36:29and it seems increasingly frequent.
0:36:29 > 0:36:32Just about every part of the UK has been affected.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38But I'm heading to the Somerset Levels and moors,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42where they've had the biggest flood on record.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46It's estimated that the area has been swamped by 65 million cubic
0:36:46 > 0:36:52metres of water. That's 26,000 Olympic swimming pools.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56In a county with agriculture at its heart, this is devastating.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58As one farmer knows all too well.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06- James, hi.- Hi, Adam.- Amazing view from here. Where's your farm?
0:37:06 > 0:37:08Yeah, just over there, you can see the buildings
0:37:08 > 0:37:12and the high trees, basically, everything you see underwater.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16James Winslade's family have farmed here for 150 years.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19He has 600 cattle and arable crops on rotation.
0:37:21 > 0:37:27- We farm 840 acres and we've got 790 underwater.- No!
0:37:27 > 0:37:31- So, 95% of the farm.- Goodness me. Standing here, it's amazing.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35I've never seen anything like it. And the flooding goes on for miles.
0:37:35 > 0:37:39Yes, there's 31,000 acres under water at the moment, which is
0:37:39 > 0:37:422.8% of Somerset is underwater.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Which doesn't sound a lot, but it actually is a fair amount.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47- It sounds a lot to me.- Yeah.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50My goodness me. Where has all the water come from?
0:37:50 > 0:37:52- How does it happen?- The River Tone comes in which meets
0:37:52 > 0:37:54the River Parrett. And it's like a funnel.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57You get the water coming from both rivers,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00but it just can't get away, so it backs up and it spills out over.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04And that's the main problem. The river is higher than the land.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08So, every drop of water on nearly all of the moors has to be pumped,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12manually pumped, which costs an absolute fortune.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14So shall we go down and see if we can get to your farm?
0:38:14 > 0:38:16Yeah, yeah, we can give it a go.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Much of the Somerset Levels is a natural flood plain,
0:38:21 > 0:38:26designed to fill with water and then quickly drain or be pumped away.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30But this is extreme, and it's not the first time this rural
0:38:30 > 0:38:32community has experienced flooding like this.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36In the last two years, James's farm along with many others has been
0:38:36 > 0:38:39underwater for months at a time.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46Winter wheat turned to paddy fields, hundreds of cattle had to be moved.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49It was described as a once in a century event.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Now, many farmers are reliving the nightmare.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58Even accessing James's farm has become an epic journey.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04On these flooded roads, you have to be quite careful, don't you?
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Yeah, it's not too bad when you can see the edges of the road
0:39:07 > 0:39:10and the verges there, but as we get deeper,
0:39:10 > 0:39:12the verges tend to disappear.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16And if you don't know the roads, you can soon end up in a ditch,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20which, there's ditches either side, which are about six foot deep.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28The Environment Agency has overall responsibility for drainage
0:39:28 > 0:39:29and river maintenance.
0:39:29 > 0:39:34Last year, they spent £45 million on clearing rivers around the UK.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37Many believe too little has been done in Somerset to prevent
0:39:37 > 0:39:40the rivers from silting up.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44The estimated cost of dredging rivers here is around £4 million.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46And so far, the Environment Agency
0:39:46 > 0:39:49and its partners have pledged just £1 million.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52The Environment Minister Owen Paterson has promised
0:39:52 > 0:39:55an action plan to provide a long-term solution.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58But it can't come soon enough for James.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03- So this is your land out here? - Yeah.- It's just like a lake.- Yeah.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13- It must be so depressing.- Oh, it is.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18You work hard all year round to keep your farm pristine.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21I don't do much gardening, my farm is my garden,
0:40:21 > 0:40:25I love being out on it. You're farming for the next generation.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29At the end of the day, we're only custodians of the land,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32and, you try and make it better.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35But it's taken out of our hands all the time.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39For farmers affected by the floods, the impact is both emotional
0:40:39 > 0:40:41and financial.
0:40:41 > 0:40:46James lost £160,000 last year, and he fears bigger losses this time round.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Against all the odds, James has to keep on farming.
0:40:52 > 0:40:57There are 600 hungry mouths to feed. And the herd is growing by the day.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05James, I've never seen anything like it. This is unbelievable.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Yeah, it's really quite depressing, really, isn't it?
0:41:07 > 0:41:10- And there's a foot of water in this cattle shed.- Yeah, yeah.
0:41:10 > 0:41:14We had to get them out last week, because it was coming up so fast.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18I was hoping that we would move them into the sheds over there,
0:41:18 > 0:41:20but we managed to get the straw out.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24There was 500 bales of straw in there we managed to get out before
0:41:24 > 0:41:28they got wet. But you can see, we're getting deeper.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- Nearly over my wellies now. - Yeah. I know.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33All this silage sitting in the water can't be good for it.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36No, no, the trouble is, as you know, if we puncture it,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39and we're not using it quick enough, it will rot anyway.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43How long can the crops and the grass survive underneath the water?
0:41:43 > 0:41:47About 21 days, which actually, it's 21 days today.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50So, from now on, everything will start degrading
0:41:50 > 0:41:54and you'll get a worse smell, really. Everything rotting down.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56It's pretty smelly, isn't it?
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Yeah, it absolutely stinks, to be honest.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00We've had a sewage farm flood onto the moor,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03all of the septic tanks have flooded in the village.
0:42:03 > 0:42:04Our septic tank has flooded.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08We've got dung heaps now in water that never flood normally,
0:42:08 > 0:42:11and that's going out into it, so, yeah, not good.
0:42:11 > 0:42:15Even as I was speaking to James, the water was rising,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18dangerously close to the cattle sheds.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21But work on the farm can't be put on hold,
0:42:21 > 0:42:23no matter what the elements throw at you.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25James still has to feet and bed the cattle.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Shall I cut the plastic, and you pull it off?
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Luckily, he has his son to lend a hand.
0:42:34 > 0:42:35George is only nine years old
0:42:35 > 0:42:39and is keen to become the fourth generation to farm here.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43He's certainly learning how tough farming can be from an early age.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50So, James is bringing the straw in now to bed these cattle down.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53It's a really clever machine that throws out the straw to
0:42:53 > 0:42:55give them a nice, dry bed to lie on.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58Well, this bed won't remain dry for long
0:42:58 > 0:43:00if the water levels rise any higher.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04That's that job done.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10What's it like, sort of everyday farming with all of the floods
0:43:10 > 0:43:13- the way they are?- Well, you know, it's always busy.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Winter time, you're feeding cattle, bedding up, scraping out,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20doing general maintenance to machines, ready for the spring.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23And when the sun comes out, hopefully it dries up.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28- Let's hope all this water disappears. - Yes. Yes. Before too long.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29Well, it's been great to met you.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32- And you, thank you very much. - Don't get disillusioned.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35- Best job in the world, farming. - Cheers.- All right, take care.
0:43:35 > 0:43:36- Bye-bye.- Cheers.
0:43:45 > 0:43:47Making a living from the land is a tricky business,
0:43:47 > 0:43:49with so many variables.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52And then there's the elements to contend with.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55And as the debate goes on to what should have been done or
0:43:55 > 0:43:59what could be done in the future to stop such devastating floods,
0:43:59 > 0:44:02one thing is for sure - it takes a lot of determination,
0:44:02 > 0:44:06a huge strength of character and a whole load of hope to keep
0:44:06 > 0:44:09farming in such difficult conditions. And thankfully,
0:44:09 > 0:44:12there are farmers like James doing exactly that.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Since I visited James's farm,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19the floodwater has risen by a further ten inches.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21And as a desperate measure,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24he's now considering selling some of his cattle.
0:44:24 > 0:44:26With more rain on the way, it will be some
0:44:26 > 0:44:29time before things return to normal.
0:44:37 > 0:44:38Dawn.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41Despite being in the depths of winter, the gentle
0:44:41 > 0:44:46transformation before the sun rises is a magical time to observe nature.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50And that's why I'm out at first light,
0:44:50 > 0:44:52because this is the avian rush hour.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55This morning, I'm going to be helping ecologists who track
0:44:55 > 0:44:57the birds that have decided to spend their winter break
0:44:57 > 0:45:00here in the beautiful orchards of Worcestershire.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05Turning up before dawn to monitor the visiting winter
0:45:05 > 0:45:09birds are a group of volunteer bird ringers.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Today, they're looking for fieldfares and redwings.
0:45:12 > 0:45:16Filling me in on the process is ornithologist Tim Dixon.
0:45:16 > 0:45:21Under the nets, we've set up mini MP3 players with little
0:45:21 > 0:45:26speakers and those are blasting out the social calls
0:45:26 > 0:45:29and the advertising calls of the birds that we're trying to catch.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Mainly redwings this morning.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Theoretically, we intercept them in these nets where
0:45:34 > 0:45:38they get caught in the soft nets and then we go along and take them out.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41Well, I can't handle the bird, but I can help you weigh it and
0:45:41 > 0:45:44- things like that, can I?- Yes. - Lead the way, Tim.- OK.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49With a million birds ringed every year, the data collected
0:45:49 > 0:45:53goes to the database for the British Trust for Ornithologists,
0:45:53 > 0:45:57so winter migrants like these fieldfares can be tracked.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59So how old you think that bird is?
0:45:59 > 0:46:00This is an adult,
0:46:00 > 0:46:04because there's no molt limit. All these feathers are uniform.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07- All these feathers are the same age. - We're looking at these feathers here.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11- They're the greater coverts. - You work out whether it's a male
0:46:11 > 0:46:15or a female by the shape and size of the little black
0:46:15 > 0:46:16streaks in the crown.
0:46:16 > 0:46:23This has a wing of 148 millimetres. How's your mental maths?
0:46:23 > 0:46:26- SHE LAUGHS - We weigh the bird and the bag.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30Let me make sure that that's firmly on the bag.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32So if this is an adult...
0:46:32 > 0:46:34Stand up, hold it by the ring. That's it.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37- Tell me how much it weighs.- 133.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41- Remember that, because now we've got to weigh the bag.- So it's 103.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43103 grams, OK.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46- Is that good?- Yeah, that's a good weight.- So now we let it go?- Yeah.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Let it go on its merry way.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55Coming from the thrush family, fieldfares
0:46:55 > 0:46:56are social birds in winter
0:46:56 > 0:47:01and can be seen in the UK's countryside until spring.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Redwings are fellow thrushes
0:47:03 > 0:47:05and you're most likely to spot them here in winter.
0:47:05 > 0:47:09Their orangey-red colouration makes them distinctive.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13It's a privilege to see these beautiful migrant birds up close.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18You can understand why this orchard habitat is so appealing.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21When the ground is frozen, taking worms off the menu,
0:47:21 > 0:47:25these sugary fallen apples provide a bird banquet,
0:47:25 > 0:47:28but the mistletoe berries are an acquired taste.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32There are three birds that do eat mistletoe,
0:47:32 > 0:47:34- the most common one is the mistle thrush.- Right.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36Which is where its name comes from.
0:47:36 > 0:47:38And there are thrush just like the fieldfares
0:47:38 > 0:47:41and redwings we've seen, but they're not migrants,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44so the mistle thrushes as we have are with us all year round,
0:47:44 > 0:47:49so unlike the redwings, which may be flying 6,000km to
0:47:49 > 0:47:53get here in the winter and 6,000km back again,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56your average mistle thrush probably goes no more than
0:47:56 > 0:48:00a kilometre from where it's born during the whole of its life.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03So imagine if you are lucky enough to have an apple
0:48:03 > 0:48:06tree in your garden, you probably encourage everyone to leave
0:48:06 > 0:48:09the apples that are on the ground, don't clear them away.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11Well, leave some of them for the wildlife,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13take some for your tarte tatin and your apple pies,
0:48:13 > 0:48:15but leave some of them for the wildlife, because
0:48:15 > 0:48:19the wildlife needs it and you'll get enjoyment from watching them.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Making orchards more appealing to our winter birds
0:48:25 > 0:48:28and animals is a crucial part of countryside conservation.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Especially in counties like this one and its neighbours Gloucestershire
0:48:31 > 0:48:36and Herefordshire, all of which are famous for their orchards.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43Will Edmonson's grandfather planted three orchards on the family farm,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47but the trees stopped being commercially viable 30 years ago.
0:48:47 > 0:48:49Thanks to some help from a council grant scheme,
0:48:49 > 0:48:54Will's traditional orchard is getting a makeover.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56What's the plan for this orchard then, Will?
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Well, we're planting a range of different apple trees in here,
0:48:59 > 0:49:01different varieties.
0:49:01 > 0:49:06This one is a Blenheim Orange, which is an old-fashioned variety.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09And we're gapping up amongst old trees that are here,
0:49:09 > 0:49:13so, we're sort of re-establishing the shape of the orchard
0:49:13 > 0:49:16in the old grid that it was years and years ago.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19What made you want to replant this orchard then?
0:49:19 > 0:49:23It's been something in the back of my mind for a few years,
0:49:23 > 0:49:27because, you know, almost from a heritage point of view,
0:49:27 > 0:49:28you realise it's going to be gone.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32Another few years, each year goes by and you lose another tree,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34and there's only a few left.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40You get to a tipping point where suddenly, it's no longer an orchard.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53- Good luck with those. I hope they fruit for you.- Thank you.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56How long do you think it will be before you get apples?
0:49:56 > 0:49:58Three or four years before we get a decent crop.
0:49:58 > 0:49:59So it's not too long to wait.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02It sounds a long time, but it's not too long.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04But these apples clearly came from another orchard.
0:50:04 > 0:50:05That's right, yeah.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09They were picked earlier in the season, September, October time.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Over in Herefordshire, just for the other orchards are.
0:50:13 > 0:50:14I love cooking apples, but I don't think
0:50:14 > 0:50:17even I could get through all of those. If you are happy, I'm going
0:50:17 > 0:50:20to take these and turn them into a local Worcestershire desert.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22Thank you.
0:50:22 > 0:50:26But first, what's the weather got in store for the coming week?
0:52:49 > 0:52:56.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10This week, we've been exploring wild and wonderful Worcestershire.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12Matt's been behind-the-scenes
0:53:12 > 0:53:15and the ruins of the once grand Witley Court,
0:53:15 > 0:53:18while I've been getting hands-on in wintry orchards,
0:53:18 > 0:53:22a stone's throw from the magnificent Malvern Hills.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26I have my locally-grown apples and plenty of them,
0:53:26 > 0:53:29but what am I going to do with all of these?
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Well, this local school is so proud of its namesake pudding, it's
0:53:32 > 0:53:35still on the menu after 40 years.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39So, yeah, brace yourselves, I'm going to have a go at making it.
0:53:41 > 0:53:42We're at Malvern College,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45although you'd be forgiven for thinking it's Hogwarts.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49It opened in 1865 and its claim to fame, CS Lewis,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53author of the Chronicles of Narnia, was a student here.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56Now, at the heart of every good school is the kitchen.
0:53:56 > 0:53:58And brave cook Fran Browning is letting me
0:53:58 > 0:54:02be her sous chef along with students Rupert and Hebe.
0:54:05 > 0:54:10Malvern pudding is basically apple with a creme brulee on top.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14The original recipe was with a white, sweet sauce, but now,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17because tastes have changed, we do a creme brulee.
0:54:17 > 0:54:21And in the houses that it is eaten, I think it's quite popular.
0:54:21 > 0:54:24- So, where do we start? Presumably... - We start with washing the apples.
0:54:24 > 0:54:30- Rupert. There you go.- Thank you. - And can you use any apples?
0:54:30 > 0:54:34I personally always use a good cooking apple like a Bramley.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37The Malvern recipe was most likely cooked up
0:54:37 > 0:54:41around the mid-19th century, as a generic apple custard pudding.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45It would be eaten as a cheap and hearty midweek desert
0:54:45 > 0:54:47which could be spiced up to make it posher.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50It was enjoyed in homes from Worcestershire to Somerset,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54but here in Malvern College, a house master's wife, Betty McNiven,
0:54:54 > 0:54:56introduced it to the menu.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59SIZZLING
0:54:59 > 0:55:03Oh, that's a good sound, isn't it? Let's start on the sauce.
0:55:03 > 0:55:04How do we make this then?
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Right, this is the amount of eggs that
0:55:07 > 0:55:10you need for that size dish. OK?
0:55:10 > 0:55:13- That's a lot of eggs, isn't it? - So get cracking.
0:55:16 > 0:55:22- I'm going to do like you're doing it! Shall I?- I just...- Yeah, no.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25- You don't cook, do you?- No, I'm not particularly talented, no.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Fran, how do you think your apprentices are getting on?
0:55:28 > 0:55:30I think you're doing quite well, actually.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32I'm not so sure about Rupert! THEY LAUGH
0:55:32 > 0:55:36Well, I just had my own technique. But mine was working.
0:55:36 > 0:55:38This is quite a traditional school, isn't it?
0:55:38 > 0:55:41- And this is quite a traditional pudding.- Yeah.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43I think it's quite nice. It makes the school a bit different,
0:55:43 > 0:55:45having all these old traditions, otherwise,
0:55:45 > 0:55:48they'd be so similar to everyone else.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56Well, it looks good, it smells good, let's see what it tastes like.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00So, how will my pudding compare?
0:56:00 > 0:56:03There you go, Hebe, tuck in and let us know what you think.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06Rupert, you could have had a bigger spoonful!
0:56:06 > 0:56:10- Well, I didn't want to take everyone else's, so.- What do you make of it?
0:56:10 > 0:56:12It was really tasty, yeah, really, really tasty.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15- Generous eight out of ten. - Eight out of ten, Hebe?
0:56:15 > 0:56:18- It's actually quite good. - You sound surprised.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22Well, by our cooking skills, I am actually quite surprised.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24Shhh! Sebastian, I know everybody in this school
0:56:24 > 0:56:25loves chocolate brownies,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27would you prefer this or chocolate brownies?
0:56:27 > 0:56:29This was surprisingly good.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32- I think I'd go for this over chocolate brownies.- Catherine?
0:56:32 > 0:56:35Well, I love brownies, but I think this definitely.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39You, down the end! You seem to be really enjoying that pudding!
0:56:39 > 0:56:42- Hi.- You all right? - Oh, it's fantastic.
0:56:42 > 0:56:44- Don't talk with your mouth full! - Can I have some more?
0:56:44 > 0:56:46Yeah, course you can. There's a whole big bowl here.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49- That's absolutely delicious, actually.- What do you think of it?
0:56:49 > 0:56:52- It's light, airy, it has depth. - It's got texture.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55- Well done, team.- You did a good job here. Honestly, you really did.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58- A generous eight. I would say an 11. - Thank you for that.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00Well, that's all we have time for this week.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Mmm. Quite a nice way to finish! Next week we're going to be
0:57:03 > 0:57:06in the Lake District visiting some of those scenic spots that
0:57:06 > 0:57:08you see in our opening credits.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10The question is, who is that man swimming in the lake?
0:57:10 > 0:57:13I'll be recreating the rock climbing scene with
0:57:13 > 0:57:15some of the pioneers of the sport in the area, so
0:57:15 > 0:57:18- that's all happening on next week's show. We'll see- you then. Mmm!
0:57:18 > 0:57:21- Mmm! I'll keep this. - It IS good, isn't it?!