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WINTER HARVESTING
This week on Countryfile, Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are exploring the vast fertile fens of Lincolnshire. Much of today’s farmland once lay on the seabed, making the soil some of the richest in the country.
TRY OUT SOME CELERIAC RECIPES
First stop on the trail for Matt is Robin Buck’s farm where they’re harvesting into the autumn to produce our winter veg. Matt turns his hand to celeriac farming, test-driving a half a million pound state of the art harvester. -
LINCOLNSHIRE’S BIRDLIFE
The mud flats of the Lincolnshire Wash are a haven for birds during the winter months. Ellie joins the RSPB for one of the highest tides of the year, to catch the spectacle as thousands of waders head out to feed with the ebbing tide.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT BARN OWL CONSERVATION
Further inland, the grassy corridors, ditches and dykes separating the intensively farmed fields are home to a thriving barn owl population. Ellie helps barn owl specialist Colin Shawyer ring and weigh this year’s second brood of chicks. -
NORTH SEA CAMP
Perched on the edge of the Lincolnshire wash, a tract of fertile land is being farmed by some rather unconventional farmers. North Sea Camp is an open prison, home to some 350 inmates, many of whom have spent decades behind bars. Katie Knapman visits the farm and meets a couple of the inmates, to see how this rehabilitation work could help earn them their ticket to freedom.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT NORTH SEA CAMP -
LINCOLNSHIRE SAUSAGES
When it comes to putting food on our plates Lincolnshire’s got more to offer than just the fruits of its fertile soils – it also has a thriving pork industry. Ellie’s in search of how to make a true Lincolnshire sausage, starting at Jane and Terry Tomlinson’s free range pig farm where she meets the latest batch of piglets. Local chef Rachel Green divulges her family’s secret sausage recipe and gives Ellie a go on her hand crank sausage grinder!
TRY OUT SOME LINCOLNSHIRE SAUSAGE RECIPES -
SLEAFORD FARMERS' MARKET
IMAGE: Matt with a local at Sleaford Market
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SLEAFORD MARKET
Matt joins the crowds at Sleaford farmers’ market on ‘Lincolnshire Day’ for a lesson in the local dialect. He also gets the chance to see what the locals make of the plan to get the Lincolnshire sausage protected status under European law. -
JOHN CRAVEN INVESTIGATES WIND FARMS
In the next decade Britain could see hundreds, if not thousands, of new wind turbines springing up on land and around the coast. On the week's Countryfile John Craven investigates this so-called "wind boom". He'll be finding out whether the national grid can cope with a massive increase in this relatively new form of power. John will also be asking who the winners and losers will be - from the companies building them to the households that paying the electricity bills.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT PRESENT AND FUTURE WINDFARMS
IN THIS FILM CONSTRUCTION FOOTAGE IS OF SEAJACKS LEVIATHAN INSTALLING WIND TURBINES AT GREATER GABBARD. THIS MATERIAL IS USED COURTESY OF CHPV OFFSHORE ENERGY MEDIA SERVICE AND SEAJACKS UK, GREAT YARMOUTH. -
ADAM'S FARM DRY STONE WALLING
The Cotswolds are well known for their gentle hillsides and honey coloured limestone. This week Adam’s farm is hosting a competition that couldn’t do without them.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT DRY STONE WALLING
The 10th anniversary of the Cotswold Dry Stone Walling competition, had participants taking part from all over the UK. Adam learns a few trade secrets in the lead up to protecting his livestock over winter on the farm.
Credits
- Series Producer
- Teresa Bogan
- Presenter
- Matt Baker
- Presenter
- Ellie Harrison
- Presenter
- Adam Henson
- Presenter
- John Craven
