0:00:02 > 0:00:03It may be autumn but the weather is just fine
0:00:03 > 0:00:05so no excuses for staying indoors.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08On Landward, we love an Indian summer.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Hello and a very warm welcome to the programme.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33This week, I'm in Plockton, where I'll be finding out about
0:00:33 > 0:00:36efforts to improve our wildlife and wild places.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But first, here's what else is coming up in the next 30 minutes.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43Sarah's on the Mull of Galloway, visiting one of Scotland's
0:00:43 > 0:00:45smallest community buyouts...
0:00:45 > 0:00:48This is the lantern area.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51- Wow.- Modern lantern now.- What a view. Amazing.- Amazing, isn't it?
0:00:51 > 0:00:55..Euan visits a kitchen garden that's making a difference...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57By coming here, like, it builds their confidence,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00it makes them feel dead proud of the things that they can achieve.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04..and Nick and I continue our West Coast culinary odyssey.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08So, here we go. Four lovely individual pieces of hogget
0:01:08 > 0:01:10ready for roasting in the oven.
0:01:13 > 0:01:18But first, I need to get some ingredients for Nick to cook with.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Competition is tough in the food industry
0:01:21 > 0:01:25so farmers need to use any advantage they can get.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I've come to Shellfield Farm on the Argyll coast to meet
0:01:28 > 0:01:31one young farmer who is using the best of what he's got to put
0:01:31 > 0:01:33a new slant on an old favourite.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39- Fraser, how are you doing? - Hi, Dougie. How are things?- Great.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Good to see you. It's a fantastic part of the country, this.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- It really is, isn't it?- And a bonny farm.- It really is, yeah.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45It's special.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Fraser Brown is using his farm's coastal location to produce
0:01:49 > 0:01:51some uniquely flavoured meat.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56He rears his lamb not only on grass but also on the tidal salt marsh
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and he's going to show me how he does it.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04His family have been farming here for over 100 years but Fraser
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and his wife Nikki only took over the farm in 2012
0:02:07 > 0:02:10when his uncle retired.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12What experience did you have at that point?
0:02:12 > 0:02:18Very little but a lot of youth on my side, let's put it that way.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21That's about it. And enthusiasm.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22So how big is the farm?
0:02:22 > 0:02:25It's just over 2,000 acres,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and we've got about 450 sheep and 20 cattle.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32- Now, I'm here to talk about salt marshes.- Yeah.- Is this them here?
0:02:32 > 0:02:34It's the start of it
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- and then it works its way all the way up to the head of the loch.- OK.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41- Shall we go have a look? - Sure.- Let's do it.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45The salt marsh sits between the land and the open sea.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Flooded twice daily with saltwater,
0:02:47 > 0:02:52it supports herbs, grasses and shrubs not found in Fraser's fields.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56It's these mineral-rich plants that the sheep graze on,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59giving their meat its unique flavour.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00So how does this actually work, then?
0:03:00 > 0:03:04So we move sheep on and off the salt marsh throughout the year
0:03:04 > 0:03:09depending on grass and just to obviously get them as best as
0:03:09 > 0:03:11we can for the end product, basically.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Do you have to be careful with tide times?
0:03:13 > 0:03:17We're pretty good. They're pretty clever, the sheep, actually.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18It beggars belief sometimes.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22But, no, they seem to know when to get off.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24It's only in the winter time that we have to really give them
0:03:24 > 0:03:27a bit of help if it comes in quick.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30So they follow the tide as it goes out and graze out there.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Pretty much, yeah.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35And do you think they prefer to graze out here compared to
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- here in the field with just normal grass?- Yeah, I think so.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42I mean, it's all the diversity of food and they're looking for
0:03:42 > 0:03:45minerals as well. They get natural salt
0:03:45 > 0:03:48and that really comes through in the flavour of the meat as well.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Yeah, they certainly seem
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- pretty keen to get down there, don't they?- Yeah.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Fraser got the idea from a neighbouring farmer who used
0:03:54 > 0:03:58to raise livestock on the Kent salt marshes and told him of
0:03:58 > 0:04:01the effect it had on the flavour of the meat.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Since then, he hasn't looked back.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09It just kind of became apparent when we tried our own lamb
0:04:09 > 0:04:13that it was really different so we tried it out at
0:04:13 > 0:04:17a couple of local shows and it really took off
0:04:17 > 0:04:20so it was a natural progression for us
0:04:20 > 0:04:23to try and make the best out of what we've got.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26The lambs here don't look particularly chunky.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28No, they're not. They're really naturally grown.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33There are not pushed and we don't like to put too much fat on them
0:04:33 > 0:04:35because we're just trying to sell fat then and that's not
0:04:35 > 0:04:38something we want to do. We want to produce something
0:04:38 > 0:04:40with great flavour that everyone can enjoy.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43So is it a saltier flavour? Is it a more intense flavour?
0:04:43 > 0:04:44How would you describe it?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It definitely has salty notes through it.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50It just has a completely different flavour to your supermarket lamb.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52That's all I can say.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Until you try it, you can't really compare it to anything.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Well, the sheep certainly seem to be thriving on their seaside diet
0:05:01 > 0:05:04and I'm looking forward to seeing what effect it has
0:05:04 > 0:05:07when Nick and I try it out on the unsuspecting tourists
0:05:07 > 0:05:10in one of Scotland's bonniest car parks.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12This is a very different flavour, isn't it?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18But before that, we head further down the coast for a story of
0:05:18 > 0:05:21a community buyout with a difference.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Recently, a quite unusual property came onto the market
0:05:25 > 0:05:29and, as Sarah discovers, the locals just had to have it.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37If you venture south of Stranraer, south of Portpatrick and even
0:05:37 > 0:05:39further south than Port Logan,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42eventually you reach Scotland's most southerly point,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44the Mull of Galloway.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53On a clear day, you can see Northern Ireland over there
0:05:53 > 0:05:55and down that way is the Isle of Man
0:05:55 > 0:05:58but right here is the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse,
0:05:58 > 0:06:01built by Robert Stevenson in 1828,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05grandfather of the author Robert Louis.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10In 2011, the Northern Lighthouse Board decided to sell this site,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13apart from the tower, which they still own and operate.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18But long before that, it had already become a popular tourist attraction.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21We had a local trust here from the late 1990s
0:06:21 > 0:06:25who ran tours up the tower from 2004.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29In 2009, we opened up the Lighthouse Exhibition.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33Maureen Chand is the chairperson of the Mull of Galloway Trust.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36When we heard in 2011 that the Northern Lighthouse Board
0:06:36 > 0:06:39were going to be selling off all the property here, we thought,
0:06:39 > 0:06:40well, that might have quite
0:06:40 > 0:06:42an impact on visitors coming to the area.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45If you get private individuals buying the cottages, it would
0:06:45 > 0:06:47be a nightmare with access, parking,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50and if a developer came in, I think that would be horrendous.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54So we decided to look at a community buyout and that's how it started.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59With the help of a grant from the Scottish Land Fund,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04the trust bought the site for almost £300,000.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07They still run the exhibition and tours of the tower
0:07:07 > 0:07:11and the old keepers' cottages are rented out as holiday lets.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13How do you do, Sarah?
0:07:13 > 0:07:16- Welcome to the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse.- Thank you.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19'But it's about time I checked out the main attraction.'
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- It's all the way up so let's go for it.- The only way is up.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29'Trust member Alec Peebles is giving me the tour.'
0:07:29 > 0:07:30How many steps?
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- 115. About halfway.- Halfway.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Ooh. This is it.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46- Yeah, this is the lantern area. - Wow.- Modern lantern now.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51- What a view. Amazing. - Amazing, isn't it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54That is fantastic, isn't it? What a sight.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- Ebb tides running there. - How old is the lighthouse?
0:07:57 > 0:08:02It was built in 1828 and commissioned in 1830.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Built by Stevenson, the Stevenson family of lighthouse...
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- Very famous, of course. - Very famous, yes.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09And how would it have been built?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Basically it was a concrete foundation but they started
0:08:12 > 0:08:16with almost a jigsaw puzzle of granite blocks interlocking
0:08:16 > 0:08:18with each other so that they weren't relying on mortar,
0:08:18 > 0:08:20the actual granites were locked together,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23gradually tapering as they come up to this level.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27But for Alec, it's about more than clever engineering.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Well, I'm here because my grandfather came here as
0:08:30 > 0:08:32principal lighthouse keeper in 1917.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35I mean, the perception is that sort of
0:08:35 > 0:08:39a lighthouse keeper's life was quite a harsh, solitary existence.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41What would it have been like?
0:08:41 > 0:08:42It could be, depending.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44If you were on a rock light, three of you on your own,
0:08:44 > 0:08:45you couldn't take your family,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47you were there for a month, two months at a time,
0:08:47 > 0:08:51but this was a very good posting because three houses,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54three families, you could have your family, your children.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56School is only three miles down the road.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59They had their own horse and cart, they kept goats.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02There's the garden that they had all their produce,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04which we're now trying to bring back to some semblance.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06This was a lovely place, I would think.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Since the buyout, the cottage lets are proving very popular,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15the museum opening hours have increased and visitor numbers
0:09:15 > 0:09:17are going up each year.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Who knows what would have happened to the site if the community
0:09:21 > 0:09:23hadn't taken that risk and bought it?
0:09:23 > 0:09:28It is a stunning spot and I can see why they wanted to protect it.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31I suppose the real challenge now is for them to make enough money
0:09:31 > 0:09:36to support it and inspire the next generation to keep it going.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Now, further up the coast in Wester Ross,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48there's a very special type of ecosystem.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54It's a temperate rainforest and I've come to Balmacara to meet
0:09:54 > 0:09:56the people trying to protect it.
0:10:00 > 0:10:01A couple of weeks ago,
0:10:01 > 0:10:04the State of Nature Report was published.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It's a snapshot of the wildlife present in Scotland today.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11What it's telling us is that 53% of our species are in decline
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and some may disappear altogether.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17But apart from all the maps and the graphs and the charts,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19what's it actually telling us on the ground,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22and can anything be done to turn around this worrying trend?
0:10:25 > 0:10:29One of the report's authors is Deborah Long of Plant Life Scotland.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33- How are you?- Hi, Dougie. Good to see you.- Good to see you, too.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Now, tell me about this report. Why was it written in the first place?
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Well, this is the second report.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40We produced the first report in 2013 and then we produced this one
0:10:40 > 0:10:43three years later just to see what the situation,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- if the situation had changed at all.- Yeah.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46Sadly what we've found is that it hasn't.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Species are still declining across Scotland and across all
0:10:49 > 0:10:52countries in the UK, in fact, and this report is an objective
0:10:52 > 0:10:56assessment of what's happening to species on the ground in Scotland.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Now, you represent the plant wildlife in Scotland.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Why is it particularly worrying that they're in decline?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Well, the reason it is particularly worrying is because plants are
0:11:05 > 0:11:06at the bottom of all ecosystems
0:11:06 > 0:11:09so everything depends on plants at one point or another.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12There's a really good ecosystem just down the road where you can see
0:11:12 > 0:11:13all the species diversity there
0:11:13 > 0:11:16- so we're going to have a look at that now.- OK. Let's do it.- OK.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Before we see some of the problems, we're going to visit one of
0:11:21 > 0:11:25the most undisturbed areas of this native forest, Coille Mhor.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- This is brilliant, this bit here.- Yeah.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- It's exactly what we were looking for.- Uh-huh. What is this, then?
0:11:33 > 0:11:34This is tree lungwort.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38This is a lichen that's really characteristic of Celtic rainforest.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40If you see this, you know you're
0:11:40 > 0:11:42in a really good bit of Celtic rainforest.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44In a typical ravine on the West Coast of Scotland,
0:11:44 > 0:11:46where you've got trees and rocks and a little burn
0:11:46 > 0:11:48just like you've got here,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and you counted the number of species within a square metre,
0:11:51 > 0:11:52you'd have the same number of species
0:11:52 > 0:11:54as you would in a tropical rainforest.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56- Really? As many as that? - That's how species-rich it is.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- There will be thousands of species on here.- Goodness.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- Let's head down to the burn, shall we?- OK.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's easy to take this kind of place for granted but even on
0:12:07 > 0:12:11a global scale, it's very special.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13You wouldn't find this in many other places in the world.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16We've got quite a lot of it in Scotland on the West Coast.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19They've got a bit in Ireland and then you'd be looking at the Azores,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22the Canary Islands and the West Coast of the Americas. That's it.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24That's the only place where you get this diversity
0:12:24 > 0:12:26in this type of woodland.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28It's one of the biggest areas in the world for this habitat
0:12:28 > 0:12:30so that's why we need to protect it.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35But although Coille Mhor is a protected area,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39it's not entirely the pristine wilderness it seems.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44Parts of this ecosystem are under attack from a very man-made problem.
0:12:46 > 0:12:51This is rhododendron ponticum, a creation of Victorian plantsmen.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55It may look pretty in spring and summer but it's become a monster.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Its spread has become one of
0:12:57 > 0:13:00the biggest ecological issues facing Scotland.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It's probably the number one invasive species problem in
0:13:04 > 0:13:07the north-west and west of Britain.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Rob Dewar of the National Trust for Scotland has spent years
0:13:10 > 0:13:14trying different ways of eradicating the dreaded ponticum.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17As you can see, the mosses here are thriving on the outside of
0:13:17 > 0:13:20this bush where there's a light coming in but once the canopy
0:13:20 > 0:13:23closes with rhododendron ponticum, it doesn't allow any light into
0:13:23 > 0:13:26the ground and so everything is basically killed off.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35But Rob and his team are drilling down to the roots of the problem.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Well, this is a technique called stem treatment which is
0:13:38 > 0:13:40a fairly new technique for us to use
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and it's more environmentally friendly,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45it's very efficient and it's a very targeted use of herbicide.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Traditionally, rhododendron control has involved lots of chainsaws,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51cutting down the bush, burning the debris,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54whereas the stem treatment is very targeted,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57so it goes right down to the roots, it's systemic and it doesn't cause
0:13:57 > 0:14:00any other damage to other plants in the woodland.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- This is clearly a big issue that needs controlling.- Definitely.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05It was the Victorians that introduced it,
0:14:05 > 0:14:08but we're 100 years down the line and now it's a major disaster,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11really, for the environment so we must carry on tackling it.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18Stem treatment has been proven to be 99% effective and landowners
0:14:18 > 0:14:22across the country are being encouraged to use this method
0:14:22 > 0:14:24to tackle rhododendron ponticum -
0:14:24 > 0:14:27one step to help save Scotland's biodiversity.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Now, we may only be on your screens for half an hour per week but
0:14:37 > 0:14:40you can keep the conversation going 24/7 if you wish
0:14:40 > 0:14:42on our Facebook page.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46And this summer, many of you did just that,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50telling us which beach you think is the best in Scotland.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Donna Deans, Jenny Watson and Jenny Morrison
0:14:53 > 0:14:55all nominated this beach, Sandend,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57which sits on the Banffshire Coast
0:14:57 > 0:15:00between Cullen and Portsoy.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04The village of Sandend dates back to the 1600s and is one of
0:15:04 > 0:15:07the oldest fishing villages on the Banffshire coast.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13It gets its name from the long, sandy beach
0:15:13 > 0:15:15and is a haven for surfers.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17In fact, it has some of the best waves in the country
0:15:17 > 0:15:20and is known as Cornwall without the crowds.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26And that's cold.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32When the surf has exhausted you, and it has,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36it's worthwhile taking a walk along the beach for a step back in time.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40These structures here are remnants of anti-tank positions built during
0:15:40 > 0:15:44the Second World War to protect this whole beach from invasion.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Thankfully, there's no risk of invasion today
0:15:49 > 0:15:51so if you're in the area, why not stop by?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56And you can tell us which beach you think is the best
0:15:56 > 0:16:00by going to the Landward Facebook page or e-mail...
0:16:07 > 0:16:10And now we're heading to a Georgian estate in Angus.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Euan's visiting the House of Dun.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21The grand Georgian house and its resplendent garden.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Formality and symmetry, show and display.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31But around the back,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35they're using the kitchen garden for a very practical purpose,
0:16:35 > 0:16:39helping people bring order back into their own lives.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- Gary.- How are you doing? - Fantastic day you've laid on for us.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Aye, it's good, yeah. - What's going on?
0:16:43 > 0:16:45There's a whole hive of activity.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Yeah, what we've got is we've got people from all over Angus
0:16:48 > 0:16:51who are involved in growing fruit and vegetables.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Gary Malone works with the charity Voluntary Action Angus
0:16:55 > 0:16:57and they are helping provide work placements for people
0:16:57 > 0:17:00who've experienced mental health problems.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04You know, there's a lot of people who feel isolated and lonely
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and feel they've got nothing to get up for and by coming here,
0:17:07 > 0:17:08like, it builds their confidence,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11it makes them feel dead proud of the things that they can achieve.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I grew up in a community in Dundee called Lochee and both my parents
0:17:14 > 0:17:15were psychiatric nurses
0:17:15 > 0:17:19so they'd worked in the Royal Dundee Liff Hospital all their working life
0:17:19 > 0:17:21and at that time people were institutionalised,
0:17:21 > 0:17:22they were there forever.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25But now we're seeing something totally different.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27This is about empowering people to be more in control of their
0:17:27 > 0:17:30own health and contribute to their communities,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32no matter what background they come from.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- Have you seen changes in people? - Massive. Absolutely massive.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38People tell you their own stories about what they used to do
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and what they're doing now and that's probably the best
0:17:41 > 0:17:44evidence, that people are saying, "My life's a lot better.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46"I'm hardly at the doctor now. I don't rely on the tablets,"
0:17:46 > 0:17:50and stuff like that. And that's an absolutely priceless thing.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56For volunteer David Watson,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59the garden has made a huge difference to his life.
0:18:01 > 0:18:09I worked up in Cawdor Castle for near about 13 years
0:18:09 > 0:18:13and I had mental health problems so I had to quit.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16I was just lying in my bed and sitting about watching the TV
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- all day and that sort of stuff. - Depression?- Yeah, aye.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- So, do you notice a benefit from the point of view of depression?- Yeah.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Yeah. Yeah, I get a lot better sleep.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Is that just cos you're tired or you're happier with life?
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Yeah, just happier with life.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36Just happy at the end of the day, being out, doing a bit and helping
0:18:36 > 0:18:41other people. I'm starting to do a bit of mentoring as well.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43So you're taking charge.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Yeah. It helps me and, as I say,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I don't look forward to the rainy days, but days like this,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51this makes me happy, getting out.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Well, we'd better get a move on cos these are going to bite.
0:19:00 > 0:19:05- Mark.- Hi. How are you doing?- Hi. I'm Euan.- Euan, pleased to meet you.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07- Courgettes.- Courgettes, yes.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12The garden has also been a lifeline to Mark Adamson.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16So, were you depressed before? What happened?
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Yeah, I went through a bad patch in my life,
0:19:19 > 0:19:25breaking up with the fiancee and stuff like that and...
0:19:25 > 0:19:28this has just been...great for me.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Were you struggling to cope at that point?
0:19:30 > 0:19:35Yeah, I was. I was in and out of hospital but it's been...
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I've not been back in since I started here.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40So, why? What is so special about coming here?
0:19:40 > 0:19:45It's just a great atmosphere and you can see what you've done.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47You know, everything's grown from seed,
0:19:47 > 0:19:53there's no cheating, as I call it, buying it from the garden centre.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- A fair bit of tying up to do there, though.- I know.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00- They keep falling down as well. - I won't hold you back.
0:20:00 > 0:20:01I'll let you get on with it.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05- It's just the weight of the foliage, you know.- Success.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Success for the plants and success for the project.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13But that is not the end of the story,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16as support worker Barry Thomson explains.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- One box of vegetables.- Yeah. - So where do they go to?
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Well, the vegetables,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27they get picked and some of them go down to the house, to the kitchen.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Also some of the volunteers that we've got here, for example,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33one or two of them live in a sheltered complex,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36they'll take the vegetables back and distribute them around
0:20:36 > 0:20:38the sheltered complex as well. And anything that is left over,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42we take back to the volunteer centre in between Arbroath and Forfar
0:20:42 > 0:20:47as well and they get used, handed out for anyone that's coming.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- It's used as a food bank. - So nothing goes to waste.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53- Nothing goes to waste, no, if we can help it.- Soup in the cafe, is there?
0:20:53 > 0:20:54Aye, it's good soup as well.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Right, I'm going to go and make some soup.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- Preference for a colour of a cup, girls and boys?- Red, please.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Red, coming up.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Once this productive garden would have fed a privileged few.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Now, through sheer hard work, it feeds many.
0:21:08 > 0:21:09But, more importantly,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13it gives the folk who work here a sense of purpose and control.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Earlier in the programme, I was in Glendaruel in Argyll,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27where Fraser Brown rears his lamb on salt marshes.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Now it's time to get a taste of that lamb,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34as resident chef Nick Nairn and I
0:21:34 > 0:21:36continue our West Coast culinary tour.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'This week, we're parking up in a lay-by
0:21:42 > 0:21:44'but this is no ordinary lay-by.'
0:21:44 > 0:21:46All righty?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Today, we're in one of the bonniest car parks in the country
0:21:54 > 0:21:56on the A82 just north of Bridge of Orchy.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It's beautiful, it's fresh, it's glorious, but what are we cooking?
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Well, we were meant to be cooking salt marsh lamb.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03- Yes, Fraser... - You promised me salt marsh lamb.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06I can hear Fraser arriving so that's good news. Very good news.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- You've cut this tight.- Very tight indeed. How are you, Fraser?
0:22:08 > 0:22:11- Good to see you.- I'm good. How are you doing, Dougie?- Very well.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14- This is Nick.- Hi.- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.- So, the lamb.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19- There's some fresh ones in the back, but...- Really?
0:22:19 > 0:22:22They might be a touch on the fresh side for our purposes.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24This is not oven-ready.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29- We're not cooking that. - They're a bit fresh.
0:22:29 > 0:22:34- Do you have some oven-ready? - Oven-ready would be very good, yes.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Fantastic.- OK, guys.- Whole leg of lamb.- Beautiful. Listen, Fraser,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- it's been an absolute joy. Great to see you.- Well, I hope you enjoy it.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43He's going to work his magic. Good to see you again.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- Thank you very much indeed. - Take care.- Thank you. Cheers.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- See you later.- Good man.
0:22:47 > 0:22:53- So, here is a beautiful looking piece of meat.- Wow, wow, wow.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- A whole leg.- Now, I believe this is hogget and not lamb.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59- Is that right?- That's correct. - So what does that mean?
0:22:59 > 0:23:00Well, lamb is less than 12 months old.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Once it's over 12 months old, it's hogget.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04Once it's three years old, it's mutton.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And the flavour of hogget, is it more intense?
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Yeah. Hogget, for me, it's the nirvana of lamb.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13And a leg of lamb is a delicious thing to roast whole,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15but what we're going to do is break this down,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17we're going to seam bone it.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19We're going to break this down into four pieces of lamb.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21So a little bit of butchery here.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23I'll let you get on with that cos I'm completely useless
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- as far as that's concerned. - You're not a fan of the knife, no.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30So we're going to just start down here and make a wee cut.
0:23:32 > 0:23:33Up here.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43That's taking a while.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45I'll stoke the oven in the meantime.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50That'll be the hairs on my arms gone. Ouch-ah.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52So, here we go.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Four lovely individual pieces of hogget
0:23:55 > 0:23:57ready for roasting in the oven.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Marvellous. Absolutely marvellous.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01We're going to start them, first of all in a pan.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04We've got the pan heating up, which is why we've got the trays there.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Keep the wind off it. Yes, indeed.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07But before we do that, we're just don't add a little bit of
0:24:07 > 0:24:13flavour in here so if I make some holes in here, just a little stab.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17One, two, three, four, five.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21- Could you poke some rosemary in those holes...- Yes, indeedy.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25..for me? There we go. A couple of little bits of garlic as well.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27So we're doing it really quite
0:24:27 > 0:24:28straightforward and simple
0:24:28 > 0:24:30because I want to see if people
0:24:30 > 0:24:32can tell the difference between
0:24:32 > 0:24:34salt marsh lamb and ordinary lamb.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38What we're going to do now is a little bit of olive oil
0:24:38 > 0:24:39over the outside
0:24:39 > 0:24:41and season with salt and pepper.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44So into the pan, nice little bit of a sizzle.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45We'll get a bit of colour on.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The oven's at about 210 degrees centigrade.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- They'll take about 12-15 minutes to cook.- Right, OK.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53So, let's turn these. OK.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And...into the oven.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03- You know, Scotland is a really bonny place, isn't it?- It's beautiful.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04It is extraordinary.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08How often do you take the time to sit down and just look at it?
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Not often enough.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13- Did you bring any wine? - DOUGIE LAUGHS
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Sadly not.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Oh, my goodness. Ready already! Dougie!
0:25:19 > 0:25:21- Oh!- Oh, look at that.
0:25:21 > 0:25:27- It is ready.- This is going to be amazing.- So out it comes.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32This has had 15 minutes' resting time but when I carve into it,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35you'll see it's nice and pink inside, OK?
0:25:35 > 0:25:40But the juices aren't running out onto the board.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42- So...- Thank you very much. - ..time to taste.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Straight away...
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I mean, almost ridiculously good.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54The flavour...
0:25:54 > 0:25:56- the texture. - The texture is incredible.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58- The flavour's extraordinary.- Yeah.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00You and I both agree that is fantastic.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03But what about the visitors to Scotland
0:26:03 > 0:26:05that are outside Glencoe here? What will they make of it?
0:26:05 > 0:26:07My worry is that they're getting in their car,
0:26:07 > 0:26:08they're taking the photograph
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and they're going up the road to Glencoe.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14We must make them stop. We must make them appreciate this. It's amazing.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Let's go.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Now, can I interest you in a little bit of...
0:26:18 > 0:26:19This is salt marsh hogget.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24This is a very special Scottish lamb from a salt marsh.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26- See what you think.- Thank you.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29- Local hogget? - It is certainly Scottish, yes.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31- Beautiful.- Isn't it good? - Absolutely beautiful.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Do you taste the difference, the flavour from the salt marsh?
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Delicious.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39We don't know what marsh means.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43It's... So the... It's where the sea meets the land.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Lovely. It's almost like steak, actually.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47Where the river meets the sea?
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Where the sea meets the beach.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52- So what do you think? - It's quite melty in the middle.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Is that more flavoursome than Aussie lamb?
0:26:55 > 0:26:57I don't know if we can... Off the record.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00You might have to turn the camera off.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03It's delicious. It's a very different flavour, isn't it?
0:27:03 > 0:27:04- It is a big flavour, isn't it?- Mm!
0:27:04 > 0:27:06It feels like it's got heaps of gravy on it
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- but it hasn't, obviously.- Yeah.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12The sheep graze on the seaweed by the shore.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14How does that compare to the lamb you've had before?
0:27:14 > 0:27:16It's much softer.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19And, yeah, it kind of tastes fruity.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21The flavour is rich.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Nick, everybody I spoke to, bar the two vegetarians,
0:27:27 > 0:27:28absolutely adored it.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30I had a very similar response.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32I think people sometimes struggle a little bit to understand
0:27:32 > 0:27:34the complexity of the difference between lamb and hogget
0:27:34 > 0:27:36and the fact that its diet was different.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40- But what they all said was it tasted fantastic.- It certainly did.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42We loved it and they loved it as well and that's all we
0:27:42 > 0:27:43have time for, this programme.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Here's what's coming up next time around.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Sarah celebrates 50 years of Buddhism in Scotland...
0:27:51 > 0:27:53(I don't know why I'm whispering.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57(I haven't been told to whisper but I just feel like I should whisper.)
0:27:57 > 0:28:01..we serve up another tasty treat at Ganavan Sands...
0:28:01 > 0:28:02That is a great thing.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Thank you very much indeed. Another satisfied customer.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- ..and Euan flares up... - Try and keep it together.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11..to help train police horses.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18So join us again next Friday, 19:30, BBC ONE Scotland.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20From one of the bonniest lay-bys in all of Scotland,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23- thank you so much for your company. Goodbye.- Bye.