0:00:26 > 0:00:28Yorkshire.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The Dales - endless rolling hills,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33interrupted by stone upon stone
0:00:33 > 0:00:35of handcrafted walls.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38The moors - bleak, yet beautiful.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41The coastline - simply stunning.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47But how do you choose your favourite bits of such a vast county?
0:00:47 > 0:00:52Well, the locals here have voted for their top 75 icons of Yorkshire
0:00:52 > 0:00:55and I'm here to have a look at some of them...
0:00:56 > 0:00:57..as is Ellie.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02There's a vast array of things on the shortlist,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06from people to places, from food to drink,
0:01:06 > 0:01:08and from caps to cricket.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It would be impossible to cover it all in one programme,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13but between us, we're going to do our best.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Adam's meeting the three finalists for this year's prestigious
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Outstanding Farmer Of The Year Award...
0:01:22 > 0:01:24This is Steven Jack.
0:01:24 > 0:01:25He's a potato and carrot grower.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28This is Luke Hasell.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30He farms traditional British beef organically.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34And this is Neil Darwent. He's a dairy farmer.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40..and Tom's tried to answer a tricky question.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45When May here was rescued, she had nearly starved to death.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46You can still see
0:01:46 > 0:01:48her bones poking through.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50A few weeks ago on Countryfile,
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Princess Anne suggested that
0:01:52 > 0:01:54considering eating more horses
0:01:54 > 0:01:58could help abandoned animals like May.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Could that really work? I'll be investigating.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Yorkshire, God's own country.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18The largest county on our islands
0:02:18 > 0:02:20boasts beauty in abundance.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Engulfing the North of England,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Yorkshire is home to the Dales,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32the Moors, and a few familiar towns and cities along the way.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36I find that the Yorkshire Dales have a very calming effect on me.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I find them very cosy. And when you look out here,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42you do get the sense that these hills could tell 1,000 stories.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47And speaking of stories, there's one publication
0:02:47 > 0:02:51local to these parts that's very special indeed.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It tells the tales of the men and women who were born and bred
0:02:54 > 0:02:56in this wonderful landscape.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01This little pocket-sized magazine
0:03:01 > 0:03:02is The Dalesman.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04At 30,000 copies a month,
0:03:04 > 0:03:06it's at the top of the pile
0:03:06 > 0:03:08when it comes to regional magazines.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12Now, this month is its 75th anniversary
0:03:12 > 0:03:17and, to mark it, they're celebrating with 75 icons of Yorkshire.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Number 17...
0:03:19 > 0:03:21the brass band.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24MUSIC: "Symphony No.9" by Dvorak
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Thank you!
0:03:27 > 0:03:29I'll see you down the pub!
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I'm going to see as many as possible,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48and first on the list is number 33,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51a man who's dedicated his life to documenting
0:03:51 > 0:03:54the stories of the people who made Yorkshire what it is today.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Bill Mitchell was the second editor of The Dalesman
0:03:57 > 0:03:59and was so for 20 years.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03At 86, he's written more than 200 books
0:04:03 > 0:04:07and still writes for The Dalesman to this day.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And this first edition came out of that front door.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15It did, actually. Yes. There's a little desk where I sat.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20- Just looking at the first edition here, JB Priestley!- Oh, gosh. Yes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23JB Priestley had a funny little car and so did I, actually.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27That funny little car, I used to use for going out for Dalesman stories.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30On one occasion, I was going down a dale and I looked down,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33I could actually see the road passing underneath
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and so I thought, "My gosh!"
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- The floor was beginning to break up. - What, in your car?- In the car.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44So I took it into a little garage and he said, "Come back in an hour."
0:04:44 > 0:04:47I went back in an hour and he'd put wooden flooring in
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and creosoted it...
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and then screwed the seats back again.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56This was the car I used when JB Priestley
0:04:56 > 0:04:58came to see me at Settle.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00I said, "Would you like to have a chat with
0:05:00 > 0:05:03"the editor of The Dalesman?" He said, "Yes."
0:05:03 > 0:05:07So I popped him in the car. Going up Bucker Brow, I thought, "Oh, my God!"
0:05:07 > 0:05:12I kept thinking about this floor and the creosote, and all the rest of it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I thought, "I might go down in history as the man
0:05:14 > 0:05:16- "who killed JB Priestley."- Wow.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Did you ever think it would last this long?
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Did you ever think it would be as popular as it's become?
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Well, it became exceedingly popular
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and I don't think that it ever gave me an impression
0:05:28 > 0:05:30that it was going to fail.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It's been one of the happiest experiences of my life.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37We sent two other stalwarts of The Dalesman
0:05:37 > 0:05:38up to another icon -
0:05:38 > 0:05:40the Cow and Calf on Ilkley Moor -
0:05:40 > 0:05:42to tell us what the magazine
0:05:42 > 0:05:43and the county mean to them.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Unfortunately, the weather can come down pretty quickly in these parts.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Poet Ian McMillan, professional Yorkshireman,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56and his partner in rhyme, cartoonist Tony Husband, from Lancashire.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Here we are, then, Tony - Yorkshire. Look at this. What a view!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- Can't see anything, Ian.- Well, you've got to use your imagination
0:06:03 > 0:06:07because here we are in one of the great iconic places of Yorkshire.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Now, The Dalesman, as you know,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11is one of the great Yorkshire institutions.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15For us Yorkshire people, it's a combination of sacred book,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18a defining myth of Ordnance Survey map.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Are people from other places allowed to look at it?
0:06:20 > 0:06:24They do look at it occasionally, as a kind of view of a better world.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26So Yorkshire's been going for 75 years?
0:06:26 > 0:06:28It's been going for longer than that. As you can see
0:06:28 > 0:06:29by the Cow and Calf rocks,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Yorkshire's been going for thousands of years
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and because of that, it's accumulated 75 icons.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40- Could you imagine Lancashire having 75 icons?- We have 76.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- It's a strange county.- That's one way of looking at it, Tony.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46We in Lancashire look on Yorkshire as being a strange county,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49with all these dialects and all these people hoarding money
0:06:49 > 0:06:51and building a wall around Yorkshire.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53See, that's a myth about Yorkshire people.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56There's a myth about Yorkshire people that we are tight and stingy.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Yet look where I've brought you. Come and sit on this bench, Tony.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Look at the view from here.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04What you get here is a view that takes in history,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07culture and poetry.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10The mist's lifting a little bit. Why don't you draw me,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13with the Cow and Calf in the background,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- looking wistful in the mist?- Right.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19While you're doing that, I'll recite the greatest ever
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Yorkshire poem - Ilkla Moor Baht 'at.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Right. Here we go.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26- Wheear 'ast tha bin sin' ah saw thee?- Pardon?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- I'm just doing the poem.- Oh, sorry. I thought I'd just be
0:07:28 > 0:07:30walking down with you. Sorry.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Wheear 'ast tha bin sin' ah saw thee?
0:07:34 > 0:07:36On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at
0:07:36 > 0:07:39Tha's bahn' to catch thy deeath o' cowd
0:07:39 > 0:07:41On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Then we shall ha' to bury thee
0:07:43 > 0:07:45On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Then t'worms'll come an' eyt thee up
0:07:48 > 0:07:50On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Then t'ducks'll come an' eyt up t'worms
0:07:53 > 0:07:55On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Then we shall come an' eyt up t'ducks
0:07:58 > 0:07:59On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at
0:07:59 > 0:08:01Then we shall all ha' etten thee
0:08:01 > 0:08:04On Ilkla Mooar baht 'at...
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- What a great poem of death and regeneration.- It's a cheery poem.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10It is quite a cheery poem. I think it's a great poem about the way
0:08:10 > 0:08:13that Yorkshire will always reinvent itself. I think it will.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14Let's have a look, Tony.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18That's really good. I look like an Easter Island statue.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Tell you what, Tony, I'll treat you to a proper Yorkshire cup of tea.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23- Come on.- You're going to treat me?
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- Definitely having that! - Come on, then.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Can you lend us a quid?
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Come on. Come on. Just come on.
0:08:29 > 0:08:30Proper Yorkshire cup of tea.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33We've seen a good chunk of the icons from The Dalesman's list,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36but it's not just me exploring this enormous county.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Ellie's just down the road in The Dales,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41visiting more of Yorkshire's treasures.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Many historic monuments were on the list, several of them abbeys.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Rievaulx, near Helmsley,
0:08:49 > 0:08:50Whitby Abbey,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and Fountains Abbey,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55which was right up there at number six.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00But this is Yorkshire's 13th most popular icon,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Bolton Abbey.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The abbey gets around half a million visitors each year,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12but it's more than just the Swaledale sheep they flock for.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Moira Smith loves this place
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and has been the estate's visitor-manager for 20 years.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22Why do you think it's as fabulous as it is?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Well, as you can see, it's beautiful.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27The place speaks for itself.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And I'm sure for many, it holds really fond memories,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33whether they've been and enjoyed a picnic by the riverside,
0:09:33 > 0:09:36sand castles, paddling,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38enjoying a walk along the riverside and the woodlands,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41exploring these amazing ruins.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45There really is so much for everybody to enjoy. It's brilliant.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47- So it deserves its place, number 13?- Absolutely.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- I think it could have ranked higher.- Do you?
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Not that I'm biased or anything like that, but...
0:09:52 > 0:09:55You know, the guys that look after this place...
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It is the countryside, but it really is a managed environment,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and the love and the care that goes into it is huge.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Bolton Abbey is set in 30,000 acres, half of which are woodland.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Head forester Roy Lingard is responsible for keeping
0:10:10 > 0:10:12its many nature trails on track
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and he's showing me one of his favourite on the estate.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19This is the Valley of Desolation, so named after a storm.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- It sounds a bit bleak, as a name, doesn't it?- Well, it is.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26It was a storm in 1836 and it devastated the whole area,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28knocked quite a lot of oak trees down.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Since then, it's been known as the Valley of Desolation.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Roy has planted this area to illustrate
0:10:34 > 0:10:36the landscape as it would have been 25,000 years ago,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40way, way before the monks and the Abbey were here.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44If we go down into the valley there, where the waterfall is,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47you can effectively imagine that you're in a wildwood,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50which I'd love to have seen, you know, 5,000 BC.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- There's no pylons, no sign of the year we're in.- Nothing.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56The only thing missing are things like lynx, brown bear and wolves,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59which would make a walk in the countryside quite interesting.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01- It would be more exciting, wouldn't it?- It would!
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'But for the woodland walk to flourish in the future,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08'there's a lot of maintenance that needs to be done today.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:10So this one looks a bit dodgy.
0:11:10 > 0:11:11It looks a bit dodgy.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13So I just need to assess
0:11:13 > 0:11:14the depth of this decay.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16That looks like it's quite deep.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18It's only gone in an inch, actually.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- Has it? Oh, right.- It's not too bad.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22So then you will leave this bit here,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24which will be great for invertebrates,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26and your ecological box ticked,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- but this will be safe for people walking by on the path?- Exactly.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32How do you feel about the fact that all of the work you have put in here,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34you won't really live to see?
0:11:34 > 0:11:37It's all right, because all the work I start,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39I know someone else will continue it on.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41At the same time, I'm taking on the work of our predecessors.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Being one of Yorkshire's best-loved landmarks means the grounds
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and surrounds of Bolton Abbey
0:11:47 > 0:11:50have a fair few claims to fame.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Cricketing great Fred Trueman is buried here.
0:11:52 > 0:11:53And it has made
0:11:53 > 0:11:56plenty of appearances on film and TV.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59But I hear it is exposure of a very different kind
0:11:59 > 0:12:01that is going on today.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07The Abbey is being used as a backdrop for a daring photo shoot
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- that would certainly knock Fred Trueman for six.- That is fabulous!
0:12:11 > 0:12:14This group of ladies is the Cappuccino Cycling Club,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18who are having a series of photos taken for a charity calendar.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20And it is not just the cycles that are racey!
0:12:22 > 0:12:26So, ladies, tell me, what is the Cappuccino Cycling Club all about?
0:12:26 > 0:12:30It is just about getting to know each other, being friends,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33meeting for cycling and cake, really.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36So every single ride ends with tea and cake, or something like that?
0:12:36 > 0:12:40- Or part way through!- Depends how desperate we are for the cake!
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Today is an interesting day, what was the idea behind the photo shoot?
0:12:44 > 0:12:47The kind of call I got was, this may sound strange,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50but how do you fancy doing this?
0:12:50 > 0:12:55So, I kind of contacted the ladies,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57who were initially really, really eager.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01I think now that we are here, the nerves are kicking in a bit!
0:13:01 > 0:13:04The dawn of realisation is here.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06It is an odd thing to do,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10but we have looked at it as a once in a lifetime, it will probably
0:13:10 > 0:13:16never happen again, it is for National Air Ambulance, so why not?
0:13:17 > 0:13:21The ladies will be stripping off in front of notable landmarks
0:13:21 > 0:13:25such as the abbey here and the Settle-Carlisle railway,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27all on the upcoming Tour de France route around Yorkshire.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32OK, that is going to be fine. Put your bikes on the other shoulder.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35The gents who dreamt up the calendar
0:13:35 > 0:13:37are two of The Dales' photographic gurus.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Michael Dunne has photographed many supermodels
0:13:40 > 0:13:42for high-end fashion magazines.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Paul Berriff's portfolio includes photos of a very young Mick Jagger
0:13:45 > 0:13:49and some young band called the Beatles.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51Same way.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56With Paul's popstar pedigree,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I suppose you could call this Bolton Abbey Road.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01That's fabulous.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07THEY ALL CHEER
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Rosie, well done! That was amazing!
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Group hug! You are all brilliant, absolutely brilliant.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20- How did it go, Paul?- Very well. I was very pleased with it.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- They were brave, weren't they? - Hats off to the girls, fantastic.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27Time for a look at the finished photos, and another Yorkshire icon.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- Wow!- Brilliant!
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- That is lovely!- That is fantastic.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38- That is so nice. - So this will be on the cover.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And then we will have "Cappuccino Girls" at the bottom there, I think.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45Awesome. You are going to be a distraction on the Tour de France!
0:14:45 > 0:14:47- That is lovely.- And then...
0:14:47 > 0:14:50THEY ALL CHEER
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- You like that?- That is brilliant! - Look at you two!- Amazing.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00- You look so mean and moody, Judy! - We had to be really serious.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04- It is great with the steam.- I look like I'm ready to kill somebody!
0:15:06 > 0:15:09With shots like these, the Cappuccino Calendar Girls
0:15:09 > 0:15:12may well become Yorkshire icons themselves.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Now, as we heard a few weeks ago, Princess Anne suggested
0:15:20 > 0:15:24that eating their meat could be a solution to the horse welfare crisis.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28Tom has been finding out whether that could really work.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41There are something like a million horses in the UK.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45And most of them, like these, are well loved and cared for.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50But increasingly, across the country,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54we are seeing thousands of horses and ponies abandoned and neglected,
0:15:54 > 0:15:57with no value and no real future.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03Animal welfare organisations and facilities
0:16:03 > 0:16:05are already at breaking point.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Over the last two decades, a trend for keeping horses
0:16:07 > 0:16:11has led to a glut of indiscriminate breeding.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16And since the economic downturn, many owners have felt unable to keep them.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21Horse welfare charities are predicting
0:16:21 > 0:16:23this year will be particularly bad,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27with up to 8,000 animals abandoned or neglected.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31It is clear we are in the grip of a welfare crisis.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34So, what can we do about it?
0:16:34 > 0:16:37A few weeks ago, on the programme,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39we heard a radical suggestion from Princess Anne
0:16:39 > 0:16:44that the welfare problem might be solved by eating horse meat.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46In the light of your recent pronouncements, I have to ask,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50how do you think eating horses would help Annie here?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Well, it is a good question. I do think...
0:16:52 > 0:16:57I threw the question out because an awful lot of the abandonments
0:16:57 > 0:17:02are because they don't perceive any value in the animals.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06So, OK, chuck them out. You know? They survive or they die.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11But the meat trade has a way of adding value to the animals.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14So there is some point in keeping it healthy,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16if it has got an end-point that it can go to.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22It is a bold proposition and one that is highly controversial.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25But could it work?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Princess Anne is patron of the charity World Horse Welfare.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33I have come to put that question to its Chief Executive, Roly Owers.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37So, who is this and what is the story?
0:17:37 > 0:17:39This is May, she is a seven year old,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43we found her near Gatwick Airport, a classic case of the equine crisis.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Abandoned, being illegally grazed,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and as you can see, in a pretty woeful state.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52Tell me, how could Princess Anne's idea about eating more horse meat
0:17:52 > 0:17:55help animals like May?
0:17:55 > 0:17:58It is all about responsible ownership.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00When you look after horses, you have great responsibility
0:18:00 > 0:18:03during their lifetime, but great responsibility
0:18:03 > 0:18:05when it comes to end-of-life decisions.
0:18:05 > 0:18:06You need a series of options
0:18:06 > 0:18:09for people to be able to make their minds up.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10What are the options?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The options are, obviously, you can have it put to sleep,
0:18:13 > 0:18:16put to sleep by a vet, or by a knackerman.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21But both of those options will cost you, between £150 and £500.
0:18:21 > 0:18:22So it is a significant cost.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25What we are finding is that people are avoiding doing that
0:18:25 > 0:18:26by selling the problem on.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Selling it to a market, selling it to someone else.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33As soon as they do that, they abject all responsibility for that horse,
0:18:33 > 0:18:38which may well end up in a downward spiral and suffering horribly.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41So that is the issue about responsible ownership.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Don't avoid it, make the difficult choice when you need to.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47You got to May just in time, but in effect,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51you are saying that if there was a market for her flesh,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54she would have been less likely to suffer.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Absolutely - less likely.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Whether people eat horses or not is a personal choice.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03What we believe is having the option to put horses into abattoirs.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07To be humanely slaughtered and go into the human food chain.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09That is the option that we passionately believe
0:19:09 > 0:19:11is right for equine welfare,
0:19:11 > 0:19:14so long as the slaughtering is done humanely.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24So, in theory, the idea might be sound, but what about in practice?
0:19:24 > 0:19:28There is a long bond between humans and horses.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31They were ridden into battle in the past, on the racecourse today,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35and of course, used for a good hack through the countryside.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39So given all that emotional investment, are many of us
0:19:39 > 0:19:42really prepared to eat the noble steed?
0:19:45 > 0:19:48With the help of chef Alice Forrest,
0:19:48 > 0:19:53we thought we would try it out on the good city folk of Wells, in Somerset.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00In terms of nutrition, horse is pretty good for you.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04It's got less cholesterol and salt than beef, and also, it's much,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09much cheaper. So let's see who's prepared to try it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Roll-up, folks!
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Who's hungry enough to eat a horse? That's what I'm wondering.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Lovely piece of meat. Similar to beef. Slightly more sweeter.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Very tender.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32I don't like the idea cos I love horses,
0:20:32 > 0:20:34which is absurd because I don't dislike cows and calves.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Good man. You managed to get two on that skewer.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Don't think I didn't see that! THEY LAUGH
0:20:44 > 0:20:47I think it's a lot better than horses just being abandoned.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52There's just something about a horse that I just feel
0:20:52 > 0:20:55we shouldn't be eating it. I'm sorry, it's just...
0:20:55 > 0:20:58No, no, don't apologise.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- Have a couple more. - Thank you so much! Nice one.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Oh, great. That's lovely, that is. Can I finish it all off?
0:21:06 > 0:21:08Many people here today seem keen,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12so why isn't it on the supermarket shelves?
0:21:12 > 0:21:15The big stores told us they don't feel the demand is there.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Whether they liked it or not,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21for most people, this was the first time they had ever eaten horse,
0:21:21 > 0:21:25whereas in some other countries, it's been on the menu for centuries.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Stephen Potter is the farmer who provided
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- the horse meat for our taste test. - Come on, girls.
0:21:37 > 0:21:41He has an abattoir in Somerset that's been exporting meat to the continent
0:21:41 > 0:21:44for the last 60 years, and he doesn't see any reason
0:21:44 > 0:21:46why we couldn't send more.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51So, most of the horse meat that you are dealing with, where does it go?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Mostly to France.
0:21:53 > 0:21:5595%, 96%.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58We do supply a small amount to zoos here in the UK,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01but the majority to France for human consumption.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Talk me through the various stages between a horse coming in here
0:22:03 > 0:22:05and ending up on a Frenchman's plate.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08A lot of horses come in directly with their owner.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12So the owner may well go in with the horse to see it put down.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16The horse is put down with a live bullet, so it's very, very quick.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18It's almost instantaneous death.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21We prepare the carcass here in the UK
0:22:21 > 0:22:23and it's exported in carcass form to France,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27where we're involved very closely with a company that sells meat
0:22:27 > 0:22:30by retail through around 25 stores every day,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32serving around 3,000 customers.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35One thing that perplexes me is that when we think of most meat,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37we think of young meat as being good.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Would we want to eat an old nag?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Older horses have redder meat, a darker colour, more flavour.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48And certainly, the quality that we are looking for is very much
0:22:48 > 0:22:50from an older horse, not from a young horse.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Stephen's abattoir is one of just two in the country
0:22:54 > 0:22:58currently exporting horse meat, but together, they supply the continent
0:22:58 > 0:23:01with thousands of carcasses every year.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05So if exporting horse meat is a solution to the welfare crisis,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08the mechanism to do that is already here.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12But you can't just put any old horse into the food chain.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- No coughs, sneezes, nothing like that?- No, fine.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20There are strict regulations on the export of any meat to Europe
0:23:20 > 0:23:24and vets like Joe Mackinder know how restrictive they can be
0:23:24 > 0:23:27when it comes to a horse.
0:23:27 > 0:23:28It must have a passport.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31This is a medicinal treatment area of a passport
0:23:31 > 0:23:33and here, a horse is either signed,
0:23:33 > 0:23:36so it's never intended to go into the food chain for its entire life
0:23:36 > 0:23:39or it is intended, depending on the type of drugs they can give them.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- Tell me about the drugs. - Two main categories.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46One means that if a horse has that drug, it can never be eaten.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49The one that's been in the news a lot is bute, the painkiller.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And then other drugs that there are safe limits that we can
0:23:52 > 0:23:54give them after a certain period of time,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56they can be slaughtered for human consumption.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00The problem here is that most abandoned horses
0:24:00 > 0:24:04lack passports showing the details of their medical history.
0:24:04 > 0:24:09So the idea that we could use human consumption as a way of sorting out
0:24:09 > 0:24:11old horses quite quickly doesn't really work because...
0:24:11 > 0:24:13It doesn't at the moment.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16All horses are assumed to have had a painkiller
0:24:16 > 0:24:17or drugs in their system,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20and because some of those are completely banned
0:24:20 > 0:24:22for human consumption, they can never go into the food chain,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24because you don't know what that horse has had.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29So, plenty of hurdles in the way of exporting horse meat
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and expanding the market here.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36On top of that, some organisations feel it shouldn't happen at all.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Mark Jones, of the Humane Society International,
0:24:44 > 0:24:47believes Europe has its own welfare issues.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53What are your core concerns about opening up a horse meat market?
0:24:53 > 0:24:55Horses are what we call flight animals,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57which means they're really easily stressed,
0:24:57 > 0:24:59particularly if you try to handle them,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02or introduce them to unusual situations.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07We know that the transport and slaughter of horses for meat,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10which goes on in Europe and certain other parts of the world,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12causes huge distress in horses.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17Mark is also worried that it will encourage over-breeding
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and discourage medical treatment.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23It's a real concern that if we are giving these animals
0:25:23 > 0:25:26a carcass value for the meat trade,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29that they won't be treated when they need to be treated
0:25:29 > 0:25:31with those veterinary drugs
0:25:31 > 0:25:34because people are concerned that they wouldn't then
0:25:34 > 0:25:36be able to realise that value.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39It seems there is no easy solution,
0:25:39 > 0:25:40but most agree
0:25:40 > 0:25:43that for the sake of these animals,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47it is time to open debates like this.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Our food safety regulations and horsey culture make it unlikely
0:25:51 > 0:25:55we'll see a big expansion in the horse meat market any time soon,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59but Princess Anne and the welfare organisations
0:25:59 > 0:26:02are agreed on one thing - being a responsible horse owner
0:26:02 > 0:26:06doesn't just mean giving your animal a good life,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09it means ensuring it has a good death.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17We all know what an important role farmers play in our lives,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20whether they're growing food or looking after the countryside.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Adam knows better than most,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27which is why he has been asked to judge this year's
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Outstanding Famer Of The Year, for the BBC's Food And Farming Awards.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35On today's programme, he's meeting three farmers
0:26:35 > 0:26:38who've been shortlisted for the award.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44It's a real privilege to have been asked to help judge
0:26:44 > 0:26:46Outstanding Farmer Of The Year.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50We received around 175 applications this year that we have whittled down
0:26:50 > 0:26:55to the final three, and now I can't wait to have a look around the farms.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59This year's award will go to a farmer
0:26:59 > 0:27:02who's made an outstanding contribution to farming,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05to an individual that's making a real difference.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Someone's who's shaping Britain's food future and inspiring others.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16The first finalist farms at the foot of the Chew Valley Lake,
0:27:16 > 0:27:22in Somerset. Luke Hasell has been in the business for ten years.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25He farms a pedigree herd of cattle organically.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28Luke, tell me how you got into farming.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Well, sadly, in 2003, I was kind of forced into taking over
0:27:32 > 0:27:36to support my mother when my father passed away.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40- And what was your background before? - As a civil engineer.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- So quite a change in your life. - Yeah. Massive change.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47And a decade on, I'm really proud about where we've taken the farm.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49And what sort of things have you done?
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We've gone from continental breeds to native.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56So we've gone for the pedigree South Devons and pedigree North Devons.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59They are a big animal, but they are so docile
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- and so easy to handle. - And you've gone over to organic.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05We've gone back to a pasture-based farm.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08It's crazy to be feeding a beef animal
0:28:08 > 0:28:10that will finish off grass cereals
0:28:10 > 0:28:13when we could be feeding that to the rest of the world.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16And you've changed who you supply to.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18We've gone from supplying the supermarkets
0:28:18 > 0:28:22to actually trying to supply direct.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25We want to bridge that gap between the consumer and the farmer
0:28:25 > 0:28:28and tell a real story about the provenance of the food.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37It's not just organic beef that lights Luke's fire.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39He is also passionate about veg.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42He rents out 30 acres of his land to a community project
0:28:42 > 0:28:45he co-founded in 2009.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51The innovative scheme offers people the opportunity
0:28:51 > 0:28:53to buy shares in the farm.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59The aim being to raise awareness of where our food comes from.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04'Andy Dibben is the community farm manager.'
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- What are you growing here?- Potatoes, a main crop of new potatoes,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12all the brassicas, all the roots - beetroot, carrots, parsnips.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15We've then got protected cropping, so that's for...
0:29:15 > 0:29:17the more risky crops in the summer like tomatoes,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20cucumbers, and then gives us salad through the winter as well.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24- And who is running it all? You need lots of people for that.- We do.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27We've got a fantastic paid workforce, but even more fantastic
0:29:27 > 0:29:31is our volunteer workforce, who come out for just literally the company,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34a bit of education, the big great outdoors
0:29:34 > 0:29:38and they are the mainstay of our workforce, really.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41It's a lovely idea of a model, isn't it?
0:29:41 > 0:29:44That it's a profitable business, which means it will last
0:29:44 > 0:29:48- and roll on, but also, the food is local.- Absolutely.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52I mean, bridging that gap, for us, is the main objective.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55And reconnecting people with food and where it's from
0:29:55 > 0:30:00and how it's grown is key for people to understand.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13Once the veg is harvested, it is stored and packed ready for delivery.
0:30:13 > 0:30:17So you've got the meat and the community farm has got the veg.
0:30:17 > 0:30:19- Yeah.- And now you're going not only to people's doors,
0:30:19 > 0:30:21- but into the wholesale trade too. - Yeah.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24One of my main businesses is to try and work with
0:30:24 > 0:30:26some of the best chefs in Bristol and Bath.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28- Grab that one, Adam.- OK.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33I'm helping with a very local delivery.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38This restaurant is less than half a mile from the community farm.
0:30:41 > 0:30:44This is Josh Eggleton, who runs the Pony And Trap
0:30:44 > 0:30:48- and turns our produce into Michelin-star food.- Wonderful.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50- So what have we got here? - How you doing?
0:30:50 > 0:30:53So we have chargrilled fillet of beef, salt-baked turnips,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56pickled turnips, turnip top puree, bashed swedes and carrots,
0:30:56 > 0:30:58all vegetables from the community farm.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- And the beef from your farm too. - The grass-fed beef.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03What does this make you feel like, seeing it on a plate like this?
0:31:03 > 0:31:05This is great, this is exactly what I set out to achieve
0:31:05 > 0:31:08as an experience, and no better place to be than here.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Wow! That is stunning.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19I mean, really, looking out of the window, across the farm,
0:31:19 > 0:31:21the food has come from just out of there,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24into this amazing restaurant, onto the plate,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26and this is what Luke is all about.
0:31:26 > 0:31:27Local produce, telling a story,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30re-educating people about where their food comes from.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33With a successful business running alongside. Works for me.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47I'm on a journey exploring the rolling hills
0:31:47 > 0:31:51of the Yorkshire Dales, crossing off the icons voted for
0:31:51 > 0:31:55by readers of The Dalesman magazine to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57MUSIC PLAYS IN CAR
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Oh, yes, in at 43, The Arctic Monkeys.
0:32:02 > 0:32:03Sheffield's finest.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07And I'm told the place I'm on my way to may have another on the list.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09Andy Swinscoe runs this cheese shop.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13His family have been involved in cheese-making for generations.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16You look like the man who can help me.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- I'm after some Wensleydale cheese. - Well, I think we can.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21- We've got Richard III Wensleydale over here.- Do you know what?
0:32:21 > 0:32:24That is more than perfect because Richard III,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Richard of York, I'm ticking off 75 icons of Yorkshire
0:32:27 > 0:32:30and I've killed two birds with one stone if I can take some of this.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Wensleydale is one of those traditional cheeses
0:32:32 > 0:32:35which has changed quite a lot over the years.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39If you go back 100 years ago, we saw the Wensleydale as a blue cheese.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41- Oh, right! - Wensleydale was a blue cheese.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44If you go back 1,000 years, it was probably a sheep's milk blue cheese.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47It's only recently it has become the sharp fresh one we expect nowadays.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51Yeah. As a cheese expert, how do you like to eat your Wensleydale?
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Personally, I like it by itself.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54Just a clean, neutral Wensleydale,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56with a nice piece of cake or a sweet apple pie.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00- Oh, right, so with cake, then? - Yeah.- Because you would think,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03- glass of red, cracker, but... - That's the Yorkshire way to do it.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12- 'They make mistakes...' - Yeah, here's another one.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Former Yorkshire and England cricketer,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17often outspoken and controversial,
0:33:17 > 0:33:18Geoffrey Boycott.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21'Short, wide, you could have hit it with anything you wanted.'
0:33:21 > 0:33:23- 'Stick of rhubarb.'- Rhubarb!
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Thanks, Geoffrey,
0:33:25 > 0:33:26I'll have that one.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29'Some of the shots were pretty poor really.'
0:33:29 > 0:33:32With all this talk of Yorkshire folk,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35let's find out a bit more about the local lingo, shall we?
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- Now then, Eric.- Now then, Matt, how is te?- I'm good. Now, look at you.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41My goodness me, you look the part. Look at this.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44I think you'll enjoy this, Matt.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46Aye, that looks gradley. A bit of
0:33:46 > 0:33:48gradley piece of cake that, lass.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50- Thank you. - Hang on, let's rewind on that one.
0:33:50 > 0:33:51- A bit of what, sorry?- Gradley.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54I've got some cheese to go with it. How do you react to that?
0:33:54 > 0:33:58Wensleydale cheese. You can't beat a bit of Wensleydale.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00So let's hear some good phrases, then.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02A typical one that everybody
0:34:02 > 0:34:04comes out with is "ee bah gum".
0:34:04 > 0:34:09And, I mean, that's basically, if you think of the old name for York,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13- Eboracum.- Ah!
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Say it today, "ee bah gum" said today is, "Oh, my God."
0:34:19 > 0:34:20Eebah was one of the gods.
0:34:20 > 0:34:26Proper real tea. You can't beat it.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28Am I allowed to say Yorkshire tea?
0:34:31 > 0:34:35- And if I'm going to leave you, how do we say goodbye?- Sithe, lad.
0:34:35 > 0:34:40- Been grand to meet thee. - Same here. See you later.- Bye now.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42I think I'll go uphill.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Earlier, we heard from Adam
0:34:48 > 0:34:51about this year's Outstanding Farmer Of The Year Awards.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53Next up, it's finalist number two.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56When you think of Scotland, you think of lochs
0:34:56 > 0:35:00and snowcapped mountains, not deep rich soil.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03And that is what our next nominee uses to his advantage.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06The second contender farms 200 hectares,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09that's nearly 500 acres, near Inverness.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Steven Jack specialises in award-winning carrots,
0:35:16 > 0:35:20parsnips and potatoes, and he is not afraid to try something new.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24- Steven, hi.- Morning.- Good to see you.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27I passed all your fancy machines and here you are using a fork.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31I can just about handle this thing, but that is way beyond me.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33- What have you got here, then? - This is a trial we've been doing
0:35:33 > 0:35:35with some different coloured carrots.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37This particular purple carrot,
0:35:37 > 0:35:39we have managed to successfully
0:35:39 > 0:35:42- grow the crop. - What is wrong with the orange ones?
0:35:42 > 0:35:46The purple one has got totally different characteristics.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49Very strong antioxidant called Lycopene, which appears in
0:35:49 > 0:35:53other red-skinned vegetables - tomatoes, for example.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57But it also has a very distinctive taste. Help yourself.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Look at that, it looks like a beetroot inside.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07Oh, yeah, very unlike a normal carrot.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10- Quite distinctive, isn't it? - Delicious. Really lovely, actually.
0:36:10 > 0:36:14- Quite sweet.- Typically used as a natural food colouring.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18A cherry-flavoured ice cream might well have the colouring
0:36:18 > 0:36:20- from a purple carrot. - And you've got some more down there.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25I've got some yellow ones as well.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Yellow carrots. Wow.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30And what's the idea behind all these different colours?
0:36:30 > 0:36:33We all think that the carrot's always been orange,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36but it's only been orange for the last 400 years
0:36:36 > 0:36:39and, prior to that, there were many different colours.
0:36:39 > 0:36:41The orange carrot was bred by
0:36:41 > 0:36:44a Dutch breeder as a gift to the Dutch royal family,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46but there are different colours.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49Different tastes, textures.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51And these are the type of ideas
0:36:51 > 0:36:55that we are keen to get out onto the shelves.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58And it doesn't stop there.
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Steven has also developed
0:37:00 > 0:37:03a variety of carrot that can be grown here all year round.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05It's a beautiful place to work,
0:37:05 > 0:37:09but the location has been a mixed blessing.
0:37:09 > 0:37:15Us Brits get through around 700,000 tonnes of carrots every year.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18That's the equivalent of 100 carrots per person.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21But the Highlands are both beautiful and remote.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24Being so far from the market has meant that Steven has had to
0:37:24 > 0:37:27get attention for his produce in other ways.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32That's meant innovation in both what is produced and how it is farmed.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35This is a pretty remote part of Scotland.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38How do you get your produce to the marketplace?
0:37:38 > 0:37:40We feel we've got to try that little bit harder.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43We are not a volume-driven business.
0:37:43 > 0:37:49We are very much focused on niche areas and new product ideas.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55And one of those ideas is getting exactly the right spot for his crops.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Over the years, Steve has built up
0:37:57 > 0:37:59relationships with neighbouring farmers
0:37:59 > 0:38:02so he can rent fertile land along the firth.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06By slotting in with their crop rotations,
0:38:06 > 0:38:07it means everyone's a winner.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10It's taken us to where we are today,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13with a mix of conventional organic and non-organic farming.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Being something of a carrot missionary,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21Steve has also started grow-your-own projects in local schools...
0:38:21 > 0:38:23We are a farmer, we plant seeds,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25so we are going to plant some carrot seeds.
0:38:25 > 0:38:28..where the children can learn more about the rainbow veg.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36Pinkies in the air. Ready? See if you can get two or three colours.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43OK. Ready? Shove it right down.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45What's your favourite vegetable?
0:38:45 > 0:38:48- Probably the carrots. - Probably carrots? Nice one.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Good customers here, you've got.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Now, you are a busy farmer, how do you find time to do this?
0:38:56 > 0:38:57Oh, it's just...fun.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03They want to get their hands dirty, they want to see how it all works.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05- Learning where their food comes from.- Yeah, absolutely.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11It's not difficult to see why Steven is such a strong contender
0:39:11 > 0:39:13for Outstanding Farmer Of The Year.
0:39:13 > 0:39:18From a relatively remote rural business, using innovative ideas,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21he's really growing things and moving his farm on.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25And he's also capturing the imagination of the next generation
0:39:25 > 0:39:28that, one day, might even follow in his footsteps.
0:39:38 > 0:39:39I've left the Dales behind
0:39:39 > 0:39:41and I'm crossing the brooding Moors
0:39:41 > 0:39:44to the craggy grandeur of the Yorkshire coastline.
0:39:45 > 0:39:4840-odd miles south of me is Flamborough Head,
0:39:48 > 0:39:5246 on the list in the East Riding of Yorkshire, which also boasts
0:39:52 > 0:39:55the might of the Humber Bridge, number 29.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01But it's the riches of Whitby I'm here to discover,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04many of which were chosen as great icons of Yorkshire.
0:40:07 > 0:40:08It's a picture-postcard fishing port
0:40:08 > 0:40:12cradled between two distinctive landmarks.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15The whalebone arch on its west cliff, a symbol of its once thriving
0:40:15 > 0:40:19whaling industry, and Whitby Abbey on its east.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22The town and the abbey in particular also provided
0:40:22 > 0:40:25the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28all on the list of Yorkshire treasures.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32I'm on the trail of another dark legacy that put Whitby
0:40:32 > 0:40:36firmly on the map, not just here in Yorkshire, but worldwide.
0:40:36 > 0:40:41It is one of the earliest gemstones used to make jewellery, Whitby Jet.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Whitby Jet is only found on a 7.5-mile stretch of the surrounding
0:40:45 > 0:40:49coastline and I am scouring a small section of it with Mike Marshall.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54He has been hunting for Whitby's unique treasure since he was a boy.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56So what are we looking for?
0:40:56 > 0:40:57We are looking for sort of
0:40:57 > 0:40:59beach-washed pieces of Jet
0:40:59 > 0:41:02that are washed up after the storms.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05When it comes to the Whitby Jet set, Mike is top of the tree.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07That is what you're looking for.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10- That's a good-sized piece, isn't it? - It is, yeah. Lucky today.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13That was a nice find. Very good.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16So talk to me about its geology, what exactly is it?
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Whitby Jet is fossilised monkey puzzle tree.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24These things were washed into the sea by flash floods,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26carried out to sea, waterlogged very quickly,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29covered very quickly as well, and, under great pressure
0:41:29 > 0:41:34- over 180 million years, it was turned to Whitby Jet.- This wonderful stuff.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38So how do you know if you have got a good piece of Jet?
0:41:38 > 0:41:42- How do you test the quality?- There is a simple test that can be done.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44If you just score it on there,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48then you get a really nice gingery-brown colour,
0:41:48 > 0:41:51and that tells me that is good-quality Jet.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54- Whitby Jet is the best quality. - And what about its value?
0:41:54 > 0:41:58- Let's talk about money. - Money, yeah.- What's it worth?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01For that sort of thing, you will get a good price for that.
0:42:01 > 0:42:06- Maybe up to £100 a pound. - Well, that's good.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09So, let's test the bit you got today. Your lucky find.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13- That piece we found today.- It's good!
0:42:13 > 0:42:14That's a good quality piece of Jet.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16- It's your lucky day. - Yeah, definitely.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20In the late 19th century, Whitby Jet
0:42:20 > 0:42:22became the height of fashion
0:42:22 > 0:42:24and the Victorians mined it
0:42:24 > 0:42:26on an industrial scale.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34Queen Victoria wore Whitby Jet for 30 years
0:42:34 > 0:42:36as part of her mourning attire.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38For her, Albert's loss was a tragedy.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41For Whitby, it was big business.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46In 1875, Whitby Jet brought in an annual turnover of around £100,000.
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Just over £3 million in today's money.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53The town's fishermen were soon outnumbered by men in attics
0:42:53 > 0:42:57carving the Jet into ornate jewellery and trinkets.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01Hal Redvers-Jones owns the last remaining example of an authentic
0:43:01 > 0:43:03Victorian Jet workshop in Whitby,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06discovered by a builder about to demolish a house.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Wow! What an amazing place!
0:43:10 > 0:43:14This is exactly how it would have been when in operation.
0:43:14 > 0:43:20Registered 1867, one of perhaps 200 that would've been in the town
0:43:20 > 0:43:23at this time, so a remarkable find, because this is the only one left.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25I see. Why would there have been so many?
0:43:25 > 0:43:28Was there not just one big warehouse where they could have all done it?
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Well, the architecture of Whitby isn't industrial in any way.
0:43:31 > 0:43:37It is a fishing town. So what they did have was plenty of attics.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39So a literal cottage industry
0:43:39 > 0:43:42which turned out to be a huge economic force.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45There was very little written down about the Jet industry,
0:43:45 > 0:43:48as the workers were poorly educated,
0:43:48 > 0:43:52but what Hal has here provides many clues to the past.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56A nickname for the 19th-century Jet carvers was the Red Devils.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00This rusty old tin has nothing to do with Jet,
0:44:00 > 0:44:01it's just a cocoa tin.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05But when we opened it up, there was residue.
0:44:05 > 0:44:09- Oh, yeah. Bright red.- Bright red. Jeweller's rouge or ferric oxide,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11which was powdered in the 19th century.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14So they would have put it on a polishing wheel like this.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16Of course, as the craftsman stood in front of that,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19he would have been sprayed with a bright red cream,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23giving him a bright red visage every time people saw him.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25There's the Whitby red devil.
0:44:25 > 0:44:30So it was nice that the rusty old tin could have underpinned that nickname.
0:44:30 > 0:44:34Hal is one of the only Whitby Jet carvers to restore
0:44:34 > 0:44:38the very pieces originally worked by Victorian hands.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41This is something I just finished off this morning.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44This is typical of 19th-century work.
0:44:44 > 0:44:48Amazing to think that it just comes from a bit of old dead wood.
0:44:48 > 0:44:51180 million-year-old wood.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Whitby Jet is still popular today.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00But the town isn't only famed for its velvety black fossil.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02You can't come to Whitby
0:45:02 > 0:45:04and not have fish and chips.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07Whitby fish and chips are number 36 on the list,
0:45:07 > 0:45:11and this place is top of the chip shop pops.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14- Stuart, how are you doing? - Hello, how are you?- Good, thank you.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- Number one chip shop in the UK. What a position!- Fantastic.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20We take a lot of time to source our ingredients.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23I think the customers appreciate that and want to buy into it.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25And there's even the science
0:45:25 > 0:45:28that you look into once the fish has been caught.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30We've looked into the freezing process
0:45:30 > 0:45:32and we worked out that the rigor mortis in the fish
0:45:32 > 0:45:35takes six weeks to come through in the frozen product.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38To use fish before that date doesn't quite cook as well
0:45:38 > 0:45:42so by leaving it for six weeks, you get nice, big, white flakes
0:45:42 > 0:45:47and the really juicy, sweet taste of the cod, and it works brilliantly.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49Now you're whetting my appetite.
0:45:49 > 0:45:52- Can I please order fish and chips for one, please?- Not a problem.
0:45:52 > 0:45:53That would be lovely.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00What better way to get a true taste of Whitby?
0:46:00 > 0:46:03Fish and chips on the harbour side
0:46:03 > 0:46:05and a good few lungfuls of sea air.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09That gull can think again though. He is fat enough already!
0:46:14 > 0:46:18The Outstanding Farmer Of The Year Award is a prestigious title
0:46:18 > 0:46:21and the competition is seriously tough.
0:46:22 > 0:46:25We've met community champions,
0:46:25 > 0:46:27vegetable innovators
0:46:27 > 0:46:31and now I'm off to the Somerset hills to meet the third finalist.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35Neil Darwin's been a dairy farmer
0:46:35 > 0:46:38since graduating from agricultural college in 1986.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40As his experience has grown,
0:46:40 > 0:46:44his ideas for the UK dairy industry have got bigger and bolder.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46- Hi, Neil.- Hi, Adam. How are you? - Good to see you.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48These are lovely cattle. What are these?
0:46:48 > 0:46:51These are Montbeliarde cows that actually originate
0:46:51 > 0:46:53from the Swiss-French border in the Jura Mountains.
0:46:53 > 0:46:57Renowned in France for producing really high-quality milk for cheese,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00making some famous cheeses like Comte, Reblochon, Mont-d'Or.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02But for me, the strengths are that they are really robust,
0:47:02 > 0:47:05strong castle.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07And is there a compromise when it comes to milk yield?
0:47:07 > 0:47:09Our cows are no slouchers when it comes to milk.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12I mean, we're averaging just under 7,000 litres a cow.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14We have cows here doing over 8,000 litres.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17But we offset that perhaps lower milk yield
0:47:17 > 0:47:19than some of the Holstein cows would be doing
0:47:19 > 0:47:21with other attributes that the cow has.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23She delivers us a really valuable beef calf,
0:47:23 > 0:47:26she has a good value at the end of her working life and we also
0:47:26 > 0:47:30enjoy other attributes such as great fertility and longevity.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36OK, girls. Let's go.
0:47:36 > 0:47:39Good girls. Come along.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41Good girls. That's it.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44Neil's cattle are used to routine and at this time of year,
0:47:44 > 0:47:48they're turned out onto the pasture during the day.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53As the mist is burnt off by the morning sun,
0:47:53 > 0:47:55the cows seem really content.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Really, you believe that grass is an essential part of producing milk?
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Absolutely.
0:48:02 > 0:48:03At the end of the day,
0:48:03 > 0:48:06it's what ruminants were born to do - graze grass.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08We should be looking as much as possible to harness
0:48:08 > 0:48:10that natural capability.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13There will be a lot of dairy farmers who have their cattle in sheds
0:48:13 > 0:48:16in the winter, but let them out to grass in the summer.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19So what makes your system different?
0:48:19 > 0:48:21We typify what a lot of dairy farmers do.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25I think what I'm trying to do here is to enhance that system
0:48:25 > 0:48:27in every which way I can, and at the end of the day,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30what I'm really about is sharing that knowledge with other farmers
0:48:30 > 0:48:32and getting farmers to help one another.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35We have a wealth of knowledge between us,
0:48:35 > 0:48:37but we're not very good sometimes at sharing it.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Good girls. Come on, then.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48After a morning's grazing, it's time for milking,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51and it's a short walk to the parlour.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54And it's this milk that you're producing that you feel
0:48:54 > 0:48:56- so passionate about telling the story.- Absolutely.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59I think milk is a very undervalued food.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02We are producing a great nutritious product from cows
0:49:02 > 0:49:04that are enjoying a great life.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07And I want the world to know really what that means to them
0:49:07 > 0:49:09in terms of the value of that product to them.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12- And have you got other producers taking that on?- I have, increasingly.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15I have actually set up the free-range dairy initiative
0:49:15 > 0:49:18for farmers and we are now marking milk and dairy products
0:49:18 > 0:49:21under the Pasture Promise label, which I have here on this cheese.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24And farmers who are committing to grazing their cows
0:49:24 > 0:49:27for 180 days a year, I am allowing to use the label to demonstrate
0:49:27 > 0:49:31their commitment to providing freedom to cows to graze.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Do you think this is the sort of thing consumers are looking for?
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Yeah. I think consumers increasingly want to make an informed choice
0:49:37 > 0:49:39when it comes to buying food and for us as dairy farmers,
0:49:39 > 0:49:43it's important we distinguish our free-range grazing herds.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- It's a good story.- Thanks.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49I've now got a difficult decision to make...
0:49:53 > 0:49:55..but I will be revealing who my winner is very soon.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20Today, we're in the County of the White Rose, Yorkshire,
0:50:20 > 0:50:24finding out about the icons that have made this area great,
0:50:24 > 0:50:27as voted for by the readers of The Dalesman magazine.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30So we've drunk cups of tea, listened to brass bands,
0:50:30 > 0:50:32we've marvelled at beautiful abbeys,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35we've eaten Wensleydale cheese, hunted for Whitby Jet,
0:50:35 > 0:50:38but we still don't know what is at the top of the list.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Well, I do, but you'll just have to wait and see.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43A pint, you say? It would be rude not to!
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Now, I think there's every chance
0:50:46 > 0:50:49I'll find number 47 in here -
0:50:49 > 0:50:51Black Sheep Bitter.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55The landlord, Mark Thompson, has links to The Dalesman too,
0:50:55 > 0:50:58as he was artist in residence for a good number of years.
0:50:58 > 0:50:59I started when I was 14.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03I sent off a pen and ink drawing to the editor,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05- who was Bill Mitchell at the time.- Right.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08And it went on from there, and I did 25 years.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Sending various line drawings in to them,
0:51:11 > 0:51:14getting five shillings, 25p, in postal orders back.
0:51:14 > 0:51:18- How wonderful.- And I'm very proud to be part of that.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20Do you know, I was thinking it must be hard for you as an artist
0:51:20 > 0:51:24- to pick the ultimate icon of Yorkshire.- The spirit.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26The spirit of Yorkshire.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28The spirit of the light, the spirit of the people,
0:51:28 > 0:51:30the spirit of truthfulness of Yorkshire.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33- That's what I would say to you. - Hang on a minute...
0:51:33 > 0:51:35I recognise this lot. Let me finish up here.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38- I've got to conduct them in the right manner.- No problem.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40- Conduct them in the right manner. Good to meet you.- That was lovely.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43- All the best to you.- Thank you. See you later.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47Right, come on, then. Come on through. How many more are there?
0:51:47 > 0:51:50Are you the last one? No. Are you the last one? No!
0:51:50 > 0:51:52Come on.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54Good. Everyone. Is everyone
0:51:54 > 0:51:56- where they should be? - ALL: Yes.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00Everybody in position? Good. Have a little warm-up. Can you remember it?
0:52:00 > 0:52:02- ALL: Yes. - You can. Very good.
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Right. Listen, I'll be right back.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07I've just got to get something out of the oven.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10So now I'm off to meet the number one.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13A couple of years ago, Ellie and I had a go at creating
0:52:13 > 0:52:14the perfect one of these.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17The thing is, it was a fix.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20Yeah, whatever, Matt!
0:52:20 > 0:52:23It was! It might have been a little bit burnt,
0:52:23 > 0:52:26but I like crispy bits, and I've been using that recipe ever since.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29But now, with a little bit of help, I'm going to nail the number one.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32It's the classic Yorkshire pudding.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33'I made mine very scientifically,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35'while Ellie went along
0:52:35 > 0:52:37'a more traditional route.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39'It was very close, but Ellie won.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42'I'm hoping that this time, champion Yorkshire pud maker
0:52:42 > 0:52:45'Chris Blackburn can help me put things right.'
0:52:47 > 0:52:50- Very hot indeed.- Smoking hot.
0:52:50 > 0:52:51And what we're going to do now
0:52:51 > 0:52:53is fill each one of these up
0:52:53 > 0:52:55about three quarters full...
0:52:55 > 0:52:57'But these are Yorkshire puddings with a difference.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01'Our secret ingredient - chocolate bars.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04'Top Yorkshire pudding tip - a seriously hot oven.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08'Even the gravy's chocolate! And 20 minutes later...'
0:53:08 > 0:53:14- Oh, my word! Gosh! - CHRIS CHUCKLES
0:53:14 > 0:53:17- Look at those!- They are absolutely fantastic.- Are you happy?
0:53:17 > 0:53:20Very, very happy with that indeed.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22The gravy's ready, everyone. The gravy's ready.
0:53:26 > 0:53:29Looks absolutely delicious.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40- Oh, man! Hey!- Is it good?
0:53:41 > 0:53:46That is... That is absolutely superb. Oh!
0:53:46 > 0:53:52Ellie, it's time for a rematch. You do not stand a chance!
0:53:52 > 0:53:54That might be so, Matt, but I have ticked off
0:53:54 > 0:53:58way more on the list of 75 than you have, including these -
0:53:58 > 0:54:01Whitby's finest fish and chips.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05I've got a flat cap. Number 28.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07See this? Sheffield stainless deal.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09Number 74.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11Ellie, you will never beat this -
0:54:11 > 0:54:13using a stick of number 71, rhubarb,
0:54:13 > 0:54:15to conduct a brass band, number 17.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20Well, on that note, it's goodbye from Yorkshire,
0:54:20 > 0:54:21and brace yourselves for
0:54:21 > 0:54:23the Leyburn Band, plus one.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28THEY PLAY COUNTRYFILE THEME
0:54:28 > 0:54:32Hang on, hang on! We'll have to start again. My rhubarb snapped!
0:54:32 > 0:54:34- THEY LAUGH - Hang on! Right.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Let's try this again. Hang on...
0:54:36 > 0:54:39I tell you what, I'll use two this time. Right.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41On that note, it's goodbye from Yorkshire.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45Brace yourselves for the Leyburn Band, plus one.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47THEY PLAY COUNTRYFILE THEME