0:00:04 > 0:00:08From the serenity of Lamlash Bay to the rugged heights of Goatfell,
0:00:08 > 0:00:12this is one of my favourite places in Scotland - the Isle of Arran.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Hello, and a very warm welcome to Landward.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37This week, I'll be spending time on Arran, where, in a minute,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40I'll be looking at moves to protect our marine environment
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and the impact that is having on fishermen.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45But first, here's what else is coming up on the programme.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Sarah helps out a stallholder at Edinburgh's farmers' market...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52What has selling at the farmers' market done for your business?
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Without this farmers' market, I wouldn't have a business.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59..I go in search of a rare white deer...
0:00:59 > 0:01:02It's just a freak gene that throws up this...
0:01:02 > 0:01:07It's not an albino, it's just got white hair.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..and Nick cooks creel-caught langoustine
0:01:10 > 0:01:12for the good people of Ayr.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Is that as good as the frozen ones?
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Much better.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Scotland's shellfish is the envy of the world.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28People are willing to pay a fortune for the langoustines,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32scallops and lobsters caught in our pristine waters.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36The Government wants to ensure our waters maintain that reputation,
0:01:36 > 0:01:39so they have set up a network of Marine Protected Areas,
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and one of them is right here in the south end of Arran.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Marine Protected Areas are designed to protect various species
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and habitats in our seas.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Lamlash Bay is an important location
0:01:50 > 0:01:53in the history of marine protection.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56The Community of Arran Seabed Trust - COAST -
0:01:56 > 0:02:01was set up in 1995 as a reaction to declining fish stocks
0:02:01 > 0:02:05and the lack of biodiversity on the seabed.
0:02:05 > 0:02:10I'm taking a trip out in Lamlash Bay with Andrew Binnie,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14the executive director of the Community of Arran Seabed Trust.
0:02:17 > 0:02:18What's that?
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Andrew, why would you say COAST has been so successful?
0:02:27 > 0:02:30COAST was set up by a couple of local divers
0:02:30 > 0:02:35and they were able to explain to the local community
0:02:35 > 0:02:39what was going on on the seabed, the sealife that was being lost.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42After 13 years of campaigning,
0:02:42 > 0:02:46a small part of Lamlash Bay was declared a No Take Zone,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50an area where no fish or shellfish can be harvested.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Since the No Take Zone was established in 2008,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56we have been doing scientific surveys
0:02:56 > 0:02:59inside the zone and outside the zone
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and what we're seeing is
0:03:01 > 0:03:04the complexity of the seabed inside the zone
0:03:04 > 0:03:09is about twice as complex as the area outside the No Take Zone.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Now the sea off the south coast
0:03:11 > 0:03:13of Arran has been declared
0:03:13 > 0:03:15one of 30 Marine Protected Areas
0:03:15 > 0:03:17around the Scottish coast.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18Each one will be
0:03:18 > 0:03:20managed differently.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23The measures that the Government is planning to bring in for South Arran
0:03:23 > 0:03:25with the Marine Conservation Order
0:03:25 > 0:03:27will mean that there is no scallop dredging
0:03:27 > 0:03:30in the whole of the South Arran Marine Protected Area.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32It will also restrict bottom trawling
0:03:32 > 0:03:35to outer areas of the Marine Protected Area.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Won't that have an impact on jobs, though?
0:03:38 > 0:03:41We believe that our Marine Protected Area
0:03:41 > 0:03:45and the other Marine Protected Areas will have a net benefit on jobs.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49The area will be much more open to creeling, for instance,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and to scallop divers.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Tim James is the owner of the creel boat Julie-Anne.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59He has also got a seafood restaurant on the island.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Today, he's catching langoustine.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06What are the langoustine like today that you're catching?
0:04:06 > 0:04:10There's a good number of them. The size is middle.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13No huge ones today as yet.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15'Despite running a creel boat,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18'Tim has sympathy for the trawlers and dredgers
0:04:18 > 0:04:22'and feels his type of fishing can be just as detrimental.'
0:04:22 > 0:04:24There's never a day when no-one's not fishing.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27If it's not the trawlers out there, it's the creel men at weekends.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Do you think the trawlers and the dredgers
0:04:29 > 0:04:32are seen as the bad guys in this? Do they get a hard time?
0:04:32 > 0:04:33I think they do get a hard time.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37I think some of it is justified, in the sense that it is inevitable
0:04:37 > 0:04:40that, by dredging along the seabed, you must be damaging the seabed.
0:04:40 > 0:04:46I don't think necessarily that the amount of prawns they are catching
0:04:46 > 0:04:48is any worse than the creelers.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51The mobile fishing fleet - the trawlers and the dredgers -
0:04:51 > 0:04:55is outraged at the prospect of being banned from fishing
0:04:55 > 0:04:57in some of the MPAs.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59The Scottish Fishermen's Federation
0:04:59 > 0:05:01and its local body, the Clyde Fishermen's Association,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05claim jobs will be lost and lives will be put at risk
0:05:05 > 0:05:09by the Government's policy of banning trawling in the MPAs.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15I'm meeting James Jack, skipper of the prawn trawler Ocean Hunter.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20It's cutting off a very large chunk of ground that is profitable,
0:05:20 > 0:05:26viable and has been so for 40-50 years in this area.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It will probably be more than 50% of the earnings for boats
0:05:28 > 0:05:30that they will lose.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33But it's not just the boats that lose the earnings,
0:05:33 > 0:05:38you've got net makers, engineers, welders, shipyards.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43- The list is endless.- Tell me about, specifically, the South Arran MPA.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48If a ban is introduced there, how will that impact on you directly?
0:05:48 > 0:05:52Instead of the individual skipper choosing his own area to go and fish
0:05:52 > 0:05:54depending on weather, depending on tides,
0:05:54 > 0:05:59it will then pigeonhole everybody into fishing a smaller area.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01It is not a conservation measure.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04It will just be disruptive to the industry.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Since we filmed with the fishermen of Arran and the Clyde coast,
0:06:10 > 0:06:12there has been another development.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16The Scottish Government has announced that it is suspending plans
0:06:16 > 0:06:19to ban trawling or dredging in four of the MPAs,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22including South Arran,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25until concerns expressed by fishermens' organisations can be
0:06:25 > 0:06:29considered by the Rural Affairs Committee of the Scottish Parliament.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34Later in the programme,
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Nick and the Landward food van will be cooking langoustine in Ayr.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43Meanwhile, Sarah has been exploring the boom in farmers' markets
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and the craft food producers who sell at them.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51She's been to the Borders to meet an artisan producer of charcuterie.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Is that a new thingy in the woods there?
0:06:53 > 0:06:57All great charcuterie starts at the source.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02So it's not surprising to find Rachel Hammond is down on the farm.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05She works seasonally with what's on her doorstep,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08so she has come to local rare breed pig farmer Stephen Lowdon
0:07:08 > 0:07:09at Ord Mains Farm
0:07:09 > 0:07:12to check the blackies Steve has picked out for her.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Who's that bruiser at the back there, the really broad-looking one?
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Which little piggy goes to the farmers' market?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Hello, Rachel. Steve, how are you doing? Is this on? Can I come in?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Right, a big step.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31What is it you are actually looking for in your pigs?
0:07:31 > 0:07:36I'm looking for a lovely curve, nice sort of rounded curve
0:07:36 > 0:07:37and nice, big hams.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39And on the blackies, you get beautiful big hams.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42It's a really, really good pig for making air-dried ham with,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44so I'm very pleased with these guys.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46- You want the high fat content.- Yes. - Why is that?
0:07:46 > 0:07:50The fat is really where the flavour is. We've lost sight of this.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Europeans have known this since for ever.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Cos the fat has all those beautiful tastes
0:07:55 > 0:07:58and the melting and the texture and everything.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01When I make my hams, for me, the fat is the product
0:08:01 > 0:08:05and the lean is like the seasoning on the outside of it.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Steve, how unusual is it for somebody to want that high level of fat?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11I would say it's very unusual.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Your typical commercial pig...
0:08:13 > 0:08:16the quest is to have as little fat as possible.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20Whereas, Rachel would like something like two inches of back fat,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22which is...it's attainable.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23PIG SQUEALS AND GRUNTS
0:08:26 > 0:08:30From hoof to ham, it takes a wee while in the smokery.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- I think I've chosen what we're going to take to market tomorrow.- OK.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40It's going to be this one. This is a year and a couple of months old now.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41- He's ready.- Ready for cutting?
0:08:41 > 0:08:42- Ready for cutting.- Let's go.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49There we go. I'll let you get on.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51- Thank you very much. Lovely. - Carry on.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56That's the first bit of the fat being revealed there.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57Underneath here,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01you'll see that marvellous, well-cared for, well-nurtured fat
0:09:01 > 0:09:03that Steve has been working on.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05- Wow.- There we are.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Just see it nice and pearly in the depth.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11This is where the smoke has gone in. That will be lovely oaky, smoky.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14And that will be more porky in the middle there.
0:09:14 > 0:09:15People coming to the farmers' market,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18they just want something a little bit different?
0:09:18 > 0:09:21They want something different. They also want something of this area.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24So this oak smoke is definitely part of the east coast of Scotland.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26The final preparation is under way.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30The last of the cured meat is sliced and packaged. Ready.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Squeeze the salamis. - Squeeze the salami. Mm-hm.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- In the bag?- Yes, please.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Rachel is all packed up and ready for a very early start tomorrow.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46BELL CHIMES
0:09:46 > 0:09:48At the crack of dawn,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51us early birds head for the Edinburgh farmers' market...
0:09:51 > 0:09:52on the bus.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54253 to Edinburgh.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02To be honest, I didn't expect to be taking the bus...
0:10:02 > 0:10:05No, this is a more interesting way of getting about.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- And also reduces the food miles. - And you get a nice view on the way.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Absolutely. Time to think.
0:10:10 > 0:10:11Or have a snooze
0:10:11 > 0:10:15on the two-and-a-half hour journey from Eyemouth to Edinburgh.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Hiya!
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Morning.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Brilliant. I get a cap.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- How important are farmers' markets? - Absolutely key.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37This is my shop, this is where I do my business.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39I don't sell anywhere else.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Farmers' markets are absolutely essential.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45For me, it's people coming and tasting my stuff -
0:10:45 > 0:10:47are they going to like it, are they not going to like it?
0:10:47 > 0:10:49- That moment of truth. - That moment of truth.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51- Can we offer you a taste? - You certainly can.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55We've got venison, salami and pork. Would you like to try a little bit?
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- It's really good.- Thank you. - And I'll try the venison as well.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00That's great.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03What has selling at the farmers' market done for your business?
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Without the farmers' market, I wouldn't have a business.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I started here about eight or nine months ago
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and since then I've become a viable business.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Thank you, see you later.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17It's absolutely key to my business
0:11:17 > 0:11:19that I have this arena to sell in
0:11:19 > 0:11:22and that people know to come here to buy things like this.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24- How much of your business is sold here?- 100%.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Rachel is doing well so I want to see
0:11:28 > 0:11:32how the other farmers and producers are faring today.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33- Good morning.- How are you?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- How has business been this morning? - Good, yeah. Not too bad.
0:11:36 > 0:11:40How much does your business rely on a farmer's market?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42Heavily dependent on a farmer's market.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47It's good because it cuts out the middle man
0:11:47 > 0:11:49and also the money comes straight to you
0:11:49 > 0:11:51instead of having to wait for months.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57There's a real buzz about this farmers' market
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and for most of the stallholders here,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01it's a huge part of their business.
0:12:01 > 0:12:02Does it keep the wolf from the door?
0:12:02 > 0:12:07For small producers like Rachel, yes, it certainly does.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12We do love our food on Landward,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16so if you've any suggestions for great tasting experiences
0:12:16 > 0:12:18or some unusual Scottish produce,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20get in touch via our Facebook page,
0:12:20 > 0:12:21or e-mail...
0:12:26 > 0:12:27As we travel about Scotland,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30we like to stop and ask the folk we meet on the street
0:12:30 > 0:12:32what they love about the local area?
0:12:32 > 0:12:34This week we are in Arran,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37so I've come to the throbbing metropolis that is Brodick
0:12:37 > 0:12:40to ask what is the best thing about this lovely island?
0:12:42 > 0:12:45What's one of the things that you need to come and do or go and see
0:12:45 > 0:12:48if you've got one day on Arran, the thing you cannot miss?
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Brodick Castle. The view from the top of the String.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55It's gorgeous looking down into Brodick.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57I think if you were coming to Arran,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00one of your musts would be to try and go up that hill up there.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Climb Goatfell. We've climbed that a couple of times.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07And go to the Auchrannie and sample some of the food, the cheese shop,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Arran Aromatics.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Yeah, we love it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16You step off the ferry
0:13:16 > 0:13:19and you just feel all your troubles have gone.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Out of all the holidays I've had, Europe, abroad, USA,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25it's always Arran that is the exciting one.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Our favourite thing to do is just the beach.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31Go down the beach all weathers, hot, wet, cold
0:13:31 > 0:13:33and you just find loads of treasures.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The island is getting busier every year,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37so there must be something good here.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Well, we always must go and play golf at Corrie
0:13:39 > 0:13:40because that's our course
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and we've gone there for years and years and years.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47For me, one of the best things about Arran is its food and drink.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51For a small island, it really packs a gastronomic punch.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Cheese, jams, oatcake, ice cream,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56smoked mackerel, beer, whisky.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Even the pork pies from The Arran Butcher are absolutely delicious.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Now, from Arran across the country to Speyside, where Euan has joined
0:14:08 > 0:14:12some youngsters to learn a bit more about filming wildlife.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15The Scottish wildcat -
0:14:15 > 0:14:20beautiful, endangered and elusive.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22The wildcat is rare, but at the moment
0:14:22 > 0:14:26we have no idea just how rare, and estimates vary wildly
0:14:26 > 0:14:30from as low as 30, to as much as 400.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32We all have camera traps at the ready.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34SHE LAUGHS
0:14:34 > 0:14:37This winter, a group called Scottish Wildcat Action is attempting
0:14:37 > 0:14:40to gain a more accurate picture of the population.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43So, we're going to have to use our imagination a little bit, guys.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46We're in the woods somewhere out the back of Aberlour here.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Across six key regions of Scotland,
0:14:48 > 0:14:53they're going to conduct a survey of cat numbers, using camera traps.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56And it is hoped these teenagers might be able to help.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58This lot are from the local wildlife watch group
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and they're learning how to set up a motion-activated camera.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06And then they're going to learn how to bring a cat into the trap.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15While the children are off practising,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Emma Rawlings from Scottish Wildcat Action is giving me a lesson.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Right, that's my camera set up.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25To maximise our chances, we can use two tools really.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27One is food bait and the other is scent.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30So we've got a glamorously modelled food bait here, but in reality,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33we would probably use a pheasant wing or a bit of a partridge...
0:15:33 > 0:15:36So where does that go, up on a low-hanging branch?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38We find it's best if you hang it from a branch, you're quite right.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Remember we talked about a sweet spot for the camera?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43About two to five metres from the camera.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- You going to be able to reach?- No! - SHE LAUGHS
0:15:45 > 0:15:48This is where you come in, Euan, thank you very much.
0:15:48 > 0:15:50- The idea... - Not often I get protracted
0:15:50 > 0:15:51because I'm the tall person!
0:15:51 > 0:15:54What we want is it to hang about three feet from the ground.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Now, the reason being, if we put it on the ground,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00foxes and badgers and dogs would just steal the bait.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01So what else can you do to bring them in?
0:16:01 > 0:16:04We know that cats have incredibly keen senses,
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and smell is one of the keenest.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09So what we are experimenting with is using other scents, as well as
0:16:09 > 0:16:12the food bait, to attract a cat, and for that we have trusty old catnip.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15And most cats seem to be attracted to catnip and its relatives,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and this is one of the relatives.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18It's valerian tincture.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- So, does it work?- It seems to, yes. With most cats, not all cats.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25- Goodness knows why. - SHE LAUGHS
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It's not the most pleasant, is it?
0:16:27 > 0:16:30What we have designed is a very simple device
0:16:30 > 0:16:31that we call a hairpost.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35And you will see on this, we have a little sponge,
0:16:35 > 0:16:36inserted into the post.
0:16:36 > 0:16:42- OK. Apply said potion?- Yeah. Apply said potion to the sponge.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45And the idea is that the cat will be attracted to the scent,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49and the way all cats react to catnip is being slightly aroused,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52if I can put it bluntly, and they will rub against the post.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53This Velcro-ey stuff?
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Exactly, and this is our ingenious device
0:16:56 > 0:16:58for collecting hairs from said cat.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The team will DNA test the collected hair to work out
0:17:02 > 0:17:04how pure the wildcats are,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08because inbreeding with domestic cats is their biggest threat.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11The more hair samples the survey can collect, the better,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15and that's why training up these children can help.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Their group is run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Donna Mathieson from the trust thinks this training
0:17:20 > 0:17:24is good for the children as well as for the cats.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27I think it's really important to get kids engaged with
0:17:27 > 0:17:29nature at all sorts of different ages.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31That's easy to say, it's not easy to do, is it?
0:17:31 > 0:17:32No, not at all,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35it takes quite a lot to get a group like this established,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39to run it, to think up ideas and get these kids, and keep them engaged,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41coming back week after week,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43especially at the age group they are in.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47So why did you want to get involved in this?
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Erm, because it was really fun and I really wanted
0:17:49 > 0:17:51to learn how to use
0:17:51 > 0:17:54the camera trap, maybe so I could do it again.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58I think that it's just a good thing to help with the wildcats.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00So you're confident you're going to get a picture of a wildcat?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- Yeah, hopefully... - Maybe not today, but...
0:18:03 > 0:18:05- Well, not here. Well, who knows?! - Yeah!
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Probably not, because they are really shy.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09So how competitive is it?
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Pretty competitive, yeah, we all want to see a wildcat, but...
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- You want to see it first, presumably?- Yeah.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17If all goes well,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20this is the type of footage they might be able to collect.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And there is a chance for other folk to get involved as well.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28The wildcat survey begins in December and will run
0:18:28 > 0:18:30until the start of March,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and the team are still looking for volunteers in some areas,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35and you'll get more information on that on our website.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37And now, over to Dougie,
0:18:37 > 0:18:40who's been doing some wildlife spotting of his own.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47BIRDSONG
0:18:52 > 0:18:55There is an old story that one day, King David of Scotland was
0:18:55 > 0:18:58out hunting when he spotted a pure white deer.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00He chased it and caught up with it,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04then tried to grab its antlers, but was left holding a golden cross.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06And the deer vanished.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09On that very spot, he decided to found an abbey
0:19:09 > 0:19:14and called it Holyrood, the seat of Scotland's kings and queens.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Tales of white deer go far back through Scotland's history,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24creatures of myth and legend.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26What are they? Here on the Isle of Arran,
0:19:26 > 0:19:30there's been various reported sightings of a mysterious white deer.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34It's even been celebrated as something of a local emblem,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and I'm off to see if I can catch a glimpse.
0:19:36 > 0:19:41To better my chances, I've enlisted expert help.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- Rab, how you doing? Nice to see you. - How you doing, Dougie?
0:19:44 > 0:19:45- Not too bad at all.- Good to see you.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49'Forest ranger Robert Logan has seen the white deer many times before.'
0:19:49 > 0:19:51I'm trying to pick out the white hind
0:19:51 > 0:19:52that's up on that face up there.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Normally hangs about up in this woodland here.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56So it's not a mythical creature then?
0:19:56 > 0:19:58- No, no.- It actually exists?
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I have seen it earlier on, but it's disappeared into the jungle.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- Uh-huh. - Hopefully it will show itself again.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06Shall we go up there, shall we have a look?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- We'll give it a bash. - OK, lead on, I'll let you go on.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21We head up the hill to an area where Rab spotted the deer hind earlier.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24That open land there, it was quite a fierce breeze, but it's...
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Yeah, it's died away.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30You wouldn't want to stand around in here, the midges would get you.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Starting to work their magic already.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38'Using the wind direction to our advantage,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41'we climb above the area where Rab thinks the deer is hiding.'
0:20:43 > 0:20:46So is this the high point, as high as we're going to be?
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Yeah, probably this will do us.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50We'll just work our way in and hopefully we'll be able
0:20:50 > 0:20:52to look down onto her from above. The wind is perfect.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Wind's come good and it's great.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58In the meantime, head down. Down the way...
0:21:02 > 0:21:06'Then, it's a matter of sitting and waiting.'
0:21:06 > 0:21:08So tell me a bit about the white deer on Arran.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12There is another stag on the other side of the island,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16it's only one-year-old, this hind is three years old now.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18And she will stay in this location.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Then she'll be hefted to this area, she'll know where to go
0:21:20 > 0:21:22in the different weather
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and where the best feeding is at different times of the year.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28They tend to very much just stay in that pad for the rest of their life.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- And will they actually mate with other red deer then?- Yeah.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Oh, yeah, it doesn't know it's a white deer,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36it just thinks it's a red deer.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41And its offspring, it could have generations of offspring
0:21:41 > 0:21:44and they will just be normal red deer.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50It's just a freak gene that throws off... It's not an albino, it's...
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It's just got white hair.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54(That's it there?)
0:21:54 > 0:21:57Only about 50, 60 metres away, see the head in the bracken?
0:21:57 > 0:21:59(My goodness, look at that.)
0:22:01 > 0:22:03(Right there, right there!)
0:22:03 > 0:22:07- It knows we're here. - It does know, straight at us.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- ..Very close to it.- That's so white, that's amazingly white.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- Yes.- It's heading off now.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17It'll probably move off around,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- it will move off around into the bracken.- Yeah.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Might pull away up,
0:22:22 > 0:22:25I would think it will just find somewhere out of the way.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- That's amazing.- Bit camera-shy.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Sitting here, walked up, sitting here for five minutes...
0:22:31 > 0:22:35Obviously you know exactly what you are doing, took us 40 yards away,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and then suddenly - "Wow!"
0:22:37 > 0:22:38LAUGHING: Yes!
0:22:41 > 0:22:44I can't tell you how thrilled I am having just seen that.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Seeing something so rare is a real privilege,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49proof that they are not just creatures of folklore
0:22:49 > 0:22:53and mythology, but now and again, if you're really lucky and
0:22:53 > 0:22:54take someone like Rab with you,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57you can see them in the Scottish countryside.
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Brilliant.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10Now, earlier in the programme we saw creel-caught langoustine
0:23:10 > 0:23:12being landed here on Arran.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15They are truly one of the finest foods Scotland has to offer,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18but you have to be able to cook them properly.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23So who better to show us than Nick and the Landward street food van?
0:23:23 > 0:23:25We've set up shop right here in the heart
0:23:25 > 0:23:27of the historic town of Ayr.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Quality ingredients deserve quality cooking,
0:23:31 > 0:23:33so let's get the pinnies on.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34And as ever, joining me
0:23:34 > 0:23:37here in the Landward food van is my own personal dishwasher, Dougie.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Delighted to be here.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Now, earlier this summer we had a Landward special called Prawn Wars
0:23:42 > 0:23:44when we looked at the Scottish fishing industry.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47One of the many things we discovered is the amount of langoustine
0:23:47 > 0:23:49caught in Scotland that end up on the plates of continental Europe.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52I know that's something that's been frustrating you
0:23:52 > 0:23:54- for quite some time, Nick.- A long time. I think there are two issues,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56the first one is - where do you buy them from?
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And the second one is - what do you do with them once you've got them?
0:23:59 > 0:24:01We have taken the tails off, which is the bit
0:24:01 > 0:24:03that everyone eats, and that's the tails here,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and we're just about to cook those.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08But also, you get all of this - the head, the claws,
0:24:08 > 0:24:11and normally that goes in the bin.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But this makes one of the most amazing flavours on the planet -
0:24:14 > 0:24:15langoustine bisque.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19So we're going to cook the tails in some boiling, salted water.
0:24:19 > 0:24:20Two minutes, OK?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Medium-sized prawns, so they don't need very long.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Seasoned water as well, so plenty of salt in the water,
0:24:26 > 0:24:27keep them on a nice high temperature,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30bring it back up to the boil and cook them for two minutes.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32With the shells...
0:24:32 > 0:24:37- Big, hot pan.- Yes. - Olive oil, lots of olive oil.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39And then, in go the shells.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41And the oil has got to be...
0:24:41 > 0:24:43NICK LAUGHS
0:24:43 > 0:24:46- Quite hot. - And the oil has got to be hot.- OK.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And we're just going to fry these in the oil for about five minutes
0:24:50 > 0:24:52until we get a bit of colour, on the outside.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55That smells really nice, because you're getting the olive oil
0:24:55 > 0:24:57coming through there, plus the kind of smell...
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Shellfish-ey, bisque-ey kind of thing.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04'While that's frying, Nick takes the prawns out of the boiling water
0:25:04 > 0:25:05'and leaves them to cool.'
0:25:06 > 0:25:10So, we need to take the prawns out of the shell,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14and the way to do this is to put the prawn between your thumbs
0:25:14 > 0:25:16and forefinger, and just squeeze
0:25:16 > 0:25:18until you hear the crack at the back.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Open them out and then put your fingers in here,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and pull it apart until it snaps.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- OK?- Yes.- Like so. Just pull it and it comes out nice and cleanly.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30The shells go in my bisque.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32This is really colouring up now, you can smell
0:25:32 > 0:25:35that roasted shellfish flavour.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- Ohh, look at that.- Very satisfying, isn't it?- And in there?
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- In there.- It's always nice throwing stuff into the pot.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43So whilst you are peeling the prawns,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46I'm going to start adding some layers of flavour to this.
0:25:46 > 0:25:53Carrot, celery, onion, orange peel, garlic - in the whole lot goes.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56'Nick seasons the pot with some chilli, coriander,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59'fennel seeds and cumin.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01'Oh, and some tomatoes.'
0:26:01 > 0:26:05I'm not working to a recipe, I'm feeling this.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07The ratios of the amount of vegetables,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11the amount of tomatoes, the amount of spices, it's one of those things,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14it has got to look right, it has got to feel right.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17'Then, after a glug of Cognac, some white wine
0:26:17 > 0:26:20'and Nick's secret ingredient - chicken stock -
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'he lets it reduce down for around an hour.'
0:26:24 > 0:26:27'It's then strained and ready to serve alongside the langoustine.'
0:26:32 > 0:26:34So, Dougie, I'm sure the good citizens of Ayr are going
0:26:34 > 0:26:37to love these prawns, but are they willing to pay
0:26:37 > 0:26:40that little bit extra for locally-landed langoustines?
0:26:40 > 0:26:42- The best prawns on the planet. - Let's try, shall we?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46OK, come with me, come with me.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Oh, that's lovely.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- Oh, that's lovely.- Yeah? - Really good.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56- You like?- Definitely, lovely.
0:26:56 > 0:26:57Will I be safe to drive after this?
0:26:57 > 0:26:59That's superb. Absolutely superb.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01I could taste the Cognac in it as well.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Mmm.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- That as good as the frozen ones? - Oh, much better.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- Would you pay a wee bit extra for something like that?- Definitely.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10I usually buy frozen,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13but I think after that I will definitely be buying fresh.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- Would you be willing to pay double? - I'd pay treble.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19- NICK LAUGHS - Can you make that for me?- I'll try.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23Thank you.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26So, Doug, there you have it.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Absolutely clear evidence that people love these langoustines.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Instead of sending them to the continent,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33surely we have got to get them into local shops.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Yes, so say all of us, Nick.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38In the meantime, from all of us at the Landward food van, Nick?
0:27:38 > 0:27:40- It's goodbye from me. - Goodbye from me too! Bye for now.