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Countryfile Season 37 Episode 40
#Cineva USA
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#Cineva USA
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00:00Can you believe just how many apples there are in this orchard?
00:14They're really beautiful, aren't they?
00:15Although they are a bit small.
00:17Yeah, and that's down to the weather.
00:18Of course, for a lot of farmers across the UK,
00:21the hot, dry weather has caused serious problems for them.
00:24But for cider producers, despite having small apples,
00:27it could be a bumper year for them.
00:29With an early and very big crop.
00:32What does it take, then, to turn all these apples into cider?
00:36And what does their production mean for our countryside
00:39and the wildlife that calls it home?
00:41Well, today we're visiting two Herefordshire cider producers,
00:44one large and one small, with our very own tale of two ciders.
00:49See you later.
00:50Yeah, don't drink too much.
00:51Trust me.
00:53Herefordshire is at the heart of the UK's cider country.
00:57I'll be at the large-scale, family-run Western Cider to the east,
01:02while Adam heads west,
01:04to meet the small-batch producers at Artistraw.
01:07Whatever the scale of production...
01:12What a contraption!
01:17..there's one element crucial to any fine cider.
01:21Satisfying bubbles!
01:23Don't squash them.
01:24We want to squash them in the press to make some cider.
01:27That's your year's work, though.
01:30Just...
01:31I know.
01:32..jumped in a second.
01:33How do you like them apples?
01:36Have a taste of that one.
01:37Oh, no.
01:38Is it what...?
01:39You're setting me up, aren't you, here?
01:40I am a little bit.
01:41Yeah.
01:42I'm regretting it now.
01:44Meanwhile, off the east coast of Scotland,
01:47with big plans to expand offshore wind power,
01:51Tom investigates what impact that could have
01:54on wildlife and coastal communities.
01:57The changes may be very small and very subtle,
02:00and one wind farm, two wind farms, who cares?
02:03But we are going to put in hundreds of wind fires.
02:13The UK is the world's leading consumer of cider,
02:17with 342 million pints sold in the last year alone.
02:24In Herefordshire, cider production isn't just a tradition,
02:27it's a major rural industry.
02:30And one of the British businesses at the forefront
02:33is Weston's Cider,
02:35a family firm pressing 40,000 tonnes of local apples a year.
02:41Founded in 1880 by Henry Weston,
02:44this large-scale operation is now managed
02:46by his great-granddaughter, Helen.
02:50Helen, good morning.
02:51Hi, Charlotte. Lovely to meet you.
02:52What a fantastic smell.
02:54When was cider first made here, then?
02:56Well, Henry Weston came here in 1878,
02:59as a young married man.
03:01And he's a tenant farmer,
03:03and most farmers in those days made their own ciders.
03:06And he made a particularly good cider,
03:08so his neighbours encouraged him to make it for them as well.
03:11He started making cider commercially in 1880,
03:14so we've been in existence now 145 years.
03:18Is that all? I know.
03:20I lived here as a child.
03:22I grew up here in this house.
03:23Wow.
03:24And so we were always on call.
03:25If the lorry got back late at night,
03:27then we'd unload the lorry and load it up again.
03:30And then during the holidays, I used to help out in the factory.
03:33And then in the autumn this time of year,
03:35I would have been picking up cider apples into a bucket,
03:39into a sack, and then they would get picked up and put onto a trailer.
03:42I mean, that's proper family business, isn't it?
03:44Yes, yes.
03:45If you're around, you'll be helping out.
03:46Absolutely, yes.
03:47You'd have the knocks on the door,
03:49and people would come up and say,
03:50can we buy some cider?
03:51And, yeah, we'd say, of course, you know,
03:53and go out and serve them.
03:54And it got to the stage where, you know,
03:56sort of lunch times, we'd have people calling.
03:58So we thought, well, let's have a proper shop.
04:00This is how the idea of having a shop here was born.
04:03We're using the same apples
04:05that we had when Henry Weston was here.
04:07Although we've put new orchards in,
04:09it's a work in progress.
04:10Still, after a hundred and something years.
04:15From humble origins,
04:17the cider business has supersized.
04:20And it all starts with the apples.
04:23It's the job of farm manager Tom Churchill
04:26to look after these orchards.
04:29Yeah, so bush orchards, we've got roughly around 200 acres.
04:32So is this a bush?
04:33This is a bush orchard, yes.
04:34And then the standards, which we farm organically,
04:37we've got about 50 acres.
04:38It is a bit of a monoculture, though, isn't it,
04:40if you compare it with old orchards,
04:42which have had loads of different types of apples
04:44ripening at all different times of the year.
04:46Yeah, so, basically, it's for ease for us.
04:48We want to be able to come in here
04:49and pick the apples when they're ripe.
04:50So if we have a load of varieties in one orchard, say,
04:53we've got to keep coming in different times
04:55to pick them at the right time.
04:57So it's about practicality, but you do then lose out, don't you,
05:00on biodiversity and so on?
05:01It's all for efficiency.
05:02We want to get as many apples as we can.
05:04But, yeah, we do have a number of different varieties on the farm.
05:07So in here, we've just got the Michelin and the Dabbernet.
05:09We have the two varieties in here for cross-pollination.
05:12So we'll leave areas of wild
05:14all the way around the headlands of the field,
05:16wherever we can, really.
05:17We've got a big patch over there, which is about two acres,
05:20which we've just put a late summer blend in.
05:22We do have beehives over in that patch as well.
05:25Beneficial insects are very important to us.
05:28So what are beneficial insects?
05:29Which ones are we talking about?
05:31So the beneficial insects are the insects
05:33that will come and eat any of the pests,
05:35anything from, like, ladybirds, earwigs even.
05:38They're quite good.
05:39We will try and limit our insecticide sprays.
05:42So if we can encourage beneficial insects in
05:44and do our job for us,
05:46hopefully we help them and they'll help us.
05:48Let's talk about a bit about the apples.
05:51Can you just use, in the nicest way, any old apple?
05:54Because you're just going to squish it and make juice.
05:56Or does it have to be special?
05:58To make cider, they want a bittersweet apple.
06:00So there are a number of varieties.
06:02But, yeah, like an eaten apple,
06:03they do make cider from them, but not here.
06:06I'm going to try one. Let's just...
06:10You're looking at me like I'm a bit foolish.
06:12Is this not a good idea?
06:13No, you might want a glass of water after, but you'll be...
06:18Start off will be sweet and then it gets very dry.
06:23I'm regretting it now.
06:25I should have listened, shouldn't I?
06:28How do you harvest these, then?
06:30I'm assuming you don't go through and pick them individually?
06:32No, we don't, no.
06:33We'll come through with a shaker to start with.
06:35A shaker?
06:36Yes, so the machine will clamp the tree.
06:38It's got weights and chain-driven.
06:39It's a purpose-built machine.
06:40There isn't actually too many of them about.
06:42Yeah, it's very good for what we do.
06:44And with the mill getting bigger and a lot more apples,
06:47quantity of apples going in,
06:48we've had to look at our system on the farm.
06:53The orchard team have been busy harvesting this morning,
06:56but there's more left to do.
06:58This is the weirdest-looking machine, isn't it?
07:01Yeah, so...
07:02Oh, my goodness!
07:07There is not an apple left!
07:08That is genius!
07:11And this, I suppose, is the big difference, isn't it,
07:13between cider apples and eating apples?
07:14Yeah.
07:15Because you don't mind if they're bruised.
07:16No, we can be a bit harder on the apple with cider apples.
07:18Obviously, eating apples, everything's picked by hand.
07:20They don't want any markings on the apple,
07:22whereas we can be a bit rougher.
07:25It's so satisfying.
07:27And that's just the start of it.
07:29Tom's job collecting the apples is equally as impressive.
07:34These modern machines are capable of harvesting
07:37a whopping 75 tonnes of apples in a day.
07:41Trailer full to the brim, it's back to the mill.
08:06So, how many tonnes do you reckon you've got from your orchard?
08:09Roughly 7.5 tonnes on that trailer.
08:11Which sounds like a lot, but we've seen much, much bigger lorries.
08:14Yeah, in comparison to the bulkers, yeah, it is still quite small.
08:17The bulk will hold about 28, 29 tonnes.
08:20And how much is coming through the Weybridge at this time of year?
08:22In a day, they're looking for about 600 tonnes.
08:25A day?
08:26A day, yeah.
08:27That's nuts!
08:32That's your year's work, though.
08:34Just...
08:35I don't know.
08:36...jumped in a second.
08:37So, how long till we can drink them?
08:42That's cider on a grand scale, efficient and built for volume.
08:46But at the other end of the spectrum,
08:48small makers take a very different approach.
08:5120 miles west of Western's large scale operation,
09:03a pair of first generation cider makers
09:06are embracing traditional methods.
09:08Husband and wife Lydia Crimp and Tom Tibbetts
09:11left their jobs in renewable energy and costume design
09:14more than five years ago
09:16to venture into the world of cider making.
09:22Tom and Lydia.
09:23Good morning!
09:24Hi!
09:25Today, they're collecting apples from the ancient
09:27and long-abandoned Dufferin Orchard in Herefordshire.
09:30What a lovely orchard.
09:32Stunning.
09:33Fancy gear.
09:34Yeah.
09:35Do you wanna...
09:36Do you wanna...?
09:37I'm not allowed the hat.
09:38You're not allowed the hat.
09:39You don't wanna wear that.
09:40You don't wanna wear that.
09:41You don't know where it's been.
09:42Do you want to...
09:43Do you want to don the uniform?
09:44Yeah, I love it, yeah.
09:45So, what on earth got you both into this?
09:47It's a hobby got out of control, if I'm honest.
09:49A shared love of the planet and good quality booze
09:52kind of led us to this point, I think.
09:55Do you want the hat?
09:56Yes, I do.
09:58Yeah, that way.
09:59I haven't had the training.
10:00Sorry.
10:01It's complicated stuff, apple picking.
10:03Got it?
10:04Grab a bucket.
10:05Yes.
10:06And that's what we'll use to collect up the fruit.
10:09Off the tree or off the ground?
10:10Off the ground.
10:11All off the ground.
10:12The tree knows when the fruit's ripe,
10:13so we wait for everything to drop,
10:14which means that we can end up visiting the same tree
10:17kind of eight or nine times during a harvest,
10:19so we really get to know these trees very well.
10:21They're like old friends.
10:22I'm quite excited having a go at this.
10:24Let's get picking, shall we?
10:25Yeah, let's do it.
10:26Absolutely.
10:34This particular orchard's got a whole range
10:36of really unusual and rare varieties in it,
10:38which are great for cider making,
10:41but aren't widely grown today commercially
10:43because of the suitability of the trees and the fruit
10:46for commercial productions.
10:48So, this is a red fox whelp.
10:50Lovely.
10:51That's a lovely name, isn't it?
10:52It is a lovely name.
10:53Have a taste of that one.
10:54Oh, no.
10:55You're setting me up, aren't you, here?
10:57I am a little bit, but...
11:02Oh, my word.
11:03That's so dry, isn't it?
11:05The inside of my mouth has just gone...
11:06They're very, very high acid.
11:08But it's still a sweetness.
11:09Yeah, absolutely.
11:10So, you do get a sweetness.
11:11What's incredible about these is once you've pressed them,
11:14the juice will pour out of the press hot pink.
11:17It's really, really bright pink.
11:18Really lovely, gorgeous.
11:19And how many varieties in the orchard in total?
11:22In this one, it's probably about 24.
11:24Have we counted them up?
11:25Maybe more.
11:26Most commercial orchards these days have four main varieties,
11:29so it's a much wider range.
11:31So, do you own this?
11:32Sadly not.
11:33So, when we first started doing this,
11:35we knew we needed to find some apples, obviously.
11:37So, we started driving around the countryside,
11:39peering over hedges, looking for trees that needed some love,
11:42and then banging on doors and asking if we could use the fruit.
11:44And most of the time, people were like,
11:46yeah, nobody's picked here for 30, 40 years.
11:48Go on, crack on.
11:49And in payment for that, we either offer money
11:51or we prune and replant the orchards.
11:54For the landlord,
11:55you're regenerating something of beauty, aren't you?
11:58Absolutely, yeah.
11:59Bringing it back to life.
12:00Yeah, keeping the heritage alive as well.
12:03While most commercial orchards are in full harvest mode,
12:06in Dufferin, Lydia and Tom have waited patiently
12:10for their first apple drop.
12:14Watch where you're stepping.
12:15Oh, yes.
12:16What are these, then?
12:17So, these are knotted kernels.
12:19This is the only tree of this variety in this orchard.
12:22And we're very, very fond of them.
12:24Very rare variety.
12:25Wow.
12:26So, you literally do have to be careful where you're stepping
12:28because these are precious.
12:30Absolutely.
12:31Don't squash them.
12:32We want to squash them in the press and make some cider.
12:34Yeah.
12:35Yeah.
12:36They're quite little, aren't they?
12:37These are actually big for this year.
12:40On a cool year, these are about half the size and dry.
12:43But this is one variety that we've really noticed
12:45is sort of responding well to climate change.
12:47Yeah.
12:48So, these are actually juicier than they normally are.
12:50So, you can see why they were never really planted commercially.
12:53Sure.
12:54But we love them because they've got an incredible flavour
12:56and very, very high sugars.
12:58And those sugar levels then, does that have a huge impact on the cider?
13:02Absolutely, yes.
13:03The sugar is fermented by the yeast into alcohol.
13:06And the higher the sugar in the apple, obviously, the more alcohol you can get out of your juice.
13:10So, this particular variety, that level of sugar in the juice will yield a drink, if it was fermented pure juice to dry, of about 10% alcohol by volume.
13:20Which is more like a wine than a cider.
13:22Yes.
13:23So, the other makers would just water it down.
13:24OK.
13:25But we're far too purist to want to do that.
13:27So, we'll blend this with something else, hopefully bring the alcohol down.
13:32We do do single varieties from trees.
13:34And it might just be that we produce 40 bottles.
13:36But I think that is the most exciting thing ever.
13:3940 people will get to taste the product of that tree on that particular year.
13:42Because, of course, it's not the same every year either.
13:45Because there's different amounts of rain, different amounts of sun.
13:48So, yeah, we're never making the same thing twice.
13:51Would you describe yourself as artisan?
13:53Yeah, I think artisan is a good word in this instance, because it is a craft.
13:57Yes, you can apply science.
13:59Absolutely, I do apply science.
14:01But there's also a feeling and a rhythm and a kind of a nature to it.
14:06This natural windfall harvesting means the apples are at peak ripeness.
14:12But it's a lot of hard graft.
14:17We're doing more talking than picking, but how much volume will you pick in a day normally?
14:23Anywhere up to about 50 sacks a day, which is about 120 buckets a day.
14:28Once we get further into the season, the apples will be falling much more.
14:32We'll get some big carpets of fruit.
14:34That's a lot of hard work, isn't it?
14:36Yes.
14:37It takes about two or three months to pick 14 tonnes between us.
14:41And through your beliefs and your ethos, do you feel that you're restricting yourself?
14:46Oh, yeah, completely.
14:47I mean, it's a completely mad way to try and make cider.
14:50But it's...
14:52I think I'd lose interest very quickly
14:54if we were trying to sort of make this into a, you know, just another kind of big cider company.
14:59Yeah, sure.
15:00There's no joy in that for me.
15:01Like, this is...
15:02I'm learning every day doing this.
15:03And we get to spend time in beautiful places like this.
15:06It's still, it's quiet, we can hear the birdsong.
15:08Yeah, it is lovely. Absolutely.
15:10Yeah.
15:11There you go.
15:12Well done.
15:13Tom and Lydia's passion for these ancient orchards is just infectious.
15:31They're supporting tradition and biodiversity and celebrating craft cider.
15:36But with all the hard graft, low yields and small batches, can they really scale up without diluting their vision?
15:46Next up, I'll see how their dedication to slow and traditional translates into processing.
15:52My word, what a contraption!
16:03Here in Herefordshire, tradition runs deep in the orchards.
16:07But off Scotland's east coast, it's all about the future and Britain's race to net zero.
16:14We are a world leader in offshore wind power, with some of the biggest wind farms on the planet.
16:20But what's the cost to our seas and coastal communities?
16:24Tom has been given exclusive access to a groundbreaking research trip that's trying to find out.
16:30The UK government says it wants 95% of Britain's electricity to come from clean energy sources by 2030.
16:42And offshore wind is leading the charge.
16:46With plans to quadruple production, the number of wind farms out at sea all around the UK could soar from 45 to over 120,
16:56thanks to 84 new projects in the pipeline.
17:02But what about the cost to nature? And is all this happening too quickly?
17:07We know about the climate change benefits of wind farms,
17:11but scientists say we know relatively little about the long-term impacts on wildlife and the sea.
17:20There's this trade-off between biodiversity, food security and energy security.
17:25There's so much we don't know.
17:28For the last decade, Professor Beth Scott from the University of Aberdeen has been studying how wind power affects marine life.
17:36Wind farms can actually change how the oceans mix.
17:39So which means they can change the temperatures in the ocean, the amount of plankton,
17:43they can change how much oxygen actually comes from the surface down to the bottom.
17:47And these are really important things.
17:49What's going to happen to our plankton?
17:51When our planktons change, our fish might change.
17:54If our fish change, our seabirds will change.
17:56Our fishing will change.
17:57Our mammals will move.
17:58Changes may be very small and very subtle.
18:01And one wind farm, two wind farms, who cares?
18:04But we are going to put in hundreds of wind farms.
18:06Offshore wind developers have to carry out assessments before new turbines can be built to work out how they will affect the environment around them.
18:19But Beth believes with gaps in our knowledge, those assessments are falling short of being able to measure the full impact.
18:26The biggest one usually that people think about is collision risk for seabirds.
18:30The other big thing, noise, when the construction is going on that really affects mammals.
18:35And then the big way that people are looking at this is impacts by looking at each layer.
18:41But they don't think about how those things interact.
18:43So there's a lot of gaps in what actually is going to happen with all these things happening together.
18:48But if you're saying this is a problem, surely it suggests that things haven't been done quite right in the past?
18:53What we're saying is it hasn't been looked at.
18:56So what has been missed off that agenda is what happens in the water column.
19:01And I was saying the analogy is like farming.
19:04It's like thinking about the soil, the mammals and the birds and never talking about the crops.
19:09Right.
19:10So what's happened is we don't know what's going to happen when we put these wind farms in.
19:15But our limited knowledge may be about to change.
19:19Countryfile has been given exclusive access to the RRS Discovery as it sails from Aberdeen on a research expedition.
19:28The ship is part of a government funded project aiming to speed up our understanding of the environmental effects of offshore wind farms.
19:38Professor Jonathan Sharples leads this work.
19:42So you can just see over there, there's a floating offshore wind farm at King Coydon.
19:46And who's on board apart from your good self?
19:48So we've got physicists, chemists, biologists.
19:50We've got people from my University of Liverpool, people from Southampton University, Scottish Association for Marine Science.
19:56When you're trying to pull all these different disciplines together, you've got to get a pretty wide variety of people.
20:01And all these people are focused on the same question, are they really?
20:04What is the environmental impact of these things in the sea?
20:07Yeah, so different aspects of it. So some are looking at the physics, some are looking at the chemistry of the nutrients, some are looking at the biology of the plankton.
20:14So what is this bit of kit going to tell us?
20:16We lower it from the sea surface all the way down to the bottom. It tells us the temperature, so it tells us about those different layers in the ocean.
20:23And it also shows us where the biology is.
20:28While many effects of offshore wind turbines remain uncertain, their impact on birds is among the most studied and has raised concerns.
20:38More than 100,000 seabirds from Brazerbills to Puffins call Falshugh Nature Reserve near Stonehaven their home.
20:47But they are about to have a new neighbour.
20:50Berwick Bank is due to be built roughly 30 miles from here.
20:54With up to 307 turbines, it could become one of the world's largest offshore wind farms and several wildlife groups, including RSPB Scotland, have criticised the Scottish Government's decision to approve the scheme.
21:10I'm meeting their head of policy, Aidan Smith.
21:13We know that the projections show that tens of thousands of seabirds potentially could be killed from some of the worst projects which are coming forward at the moment.
21:21That's a big number. How do they die?
21:24There's two or three main ways that they die. One, they could be hit by them.
21:28Second mechanism is that they spot them and wisely stay away from them in a kind of scarecrow effect.
21:33But if that's an important place for those seabirds to be feeding and they can no longer use it, then they may starve.
21:38And then the kind of third impact is that if they're placed between where the seabirds nest and where they feed, then they've got to go longer round and they're living right on the edge of what's viable already and that means they can no longer survive.
21:48There are a bunch of potential wider, longer term implications from wind farms that we don't yet know about.
21:53I mean, in many ways, there's a bit of an experiment underway because we've just not really built structures like this in that type of natural environment before anywhere in the world yet.
22:01We've seen some really big declines in some seabird populations, so they're already under huge pressure.
22:06But one of those drivers that the seabird declines is climate change. Maybe, you know, a few birds in peril is a price we have to pay for halting climate change.
22:14Absolutely. But, of course, for that very reason, we need to do it whilst minimising impacts on seabirds as well. And we can do that.
22:20We don't need to be building projects in the most sensitive places and we can need to be moving to deeper water where typically you get fewer seabirds and so fewer conflicts.
22:27The Scottish Government said it comprehensively examines offshore wind applications before deciding whether to approve them.
22:36They added that they will continue to take account of the evolving evidence base as part of a robust decision-making process,
22:44considering the need for development alongside potential impacts to the marine environment and other sea users.
22:51It's not only some wildlife groups are unhappy about a massive expansion of offshore wind farms, the fishing industry has serious concerns too.
23:02I've come to Peterhead, one of Europe's largest fishing ports, where some 265 million pounds worth of fish was landed last year.
23:11It is a huge business and one that fishers are worried could be damaged by wind turbines.
23:17Elspeth MacDonald is from the Scottish Fisherman's Federation.
23:21They're going to conflict with a lot of our very important fishing grounds.
23:25We're very worried just about the displacement of fishing from those areas.
23:30We really have no idea what the environmental effect of them is going to be on our fish and shellfish stocks.
23:36Well, you say that. Isn't an exclusion for fishing actually very good for fish?
23:40Well, not if we can't go and fish them somewhere else.
23:43If that's a really important fishing ground and the grounds that have been proven to be productive for many decades continue to be productive,
23:50and where we've got good, sustainable, renewable stocks, then it is a problem.
23:54Do you accept that climate change is a threat? Offshore wind farms are a big part of the solution.
23:58We know we can't continue to have an energy system based on fossil fuels,
24:02but betting the house on offshore wind when we know so little about it just feels to us like a high-risk strategy.
24:09We believe that putting them in places that don't cause the same conflicts of fishing is the solution.
24:15Scotland, Britain leading the world in offshore wind, a source of pride for them, perhaps not for you.
24:21Well, I think you can be a global leader, but I'm also worried that we're going to be a global guinea pig.
24:26So, how does the wind industry respond to these concerns?
24:31Renewable UK is the trade association representing Britain's renewable energy sector.
24:37Catroot Stevens is their head of environment and consents.
24:42Overall, do you acknowledge that wind farms are, well, bad for wildlife?
24:47Well, no, actually. So, the developers, they're always looking at ways that they can make sure these projects integrate in the environment.
24:56And we're actually trialing lots of new innovations, which we call nature-friendly engineering or nature-inclusive design.
25:05And this involves putting special textures and crevices into, say, like the foundations on wind turbines.
25:12So, they can be colonised by seaweed and crustaceans, which then bring in fish into that area.
25:19And then there's an overall net benefit in biodiversity around these offshore wind farms.
25:24What about the impact on fishing? I mean, representatives from the industry have said the growth in wind farms could be catastrophic.
25:30We understand the sea is becoming a busier space, so we're looking at how we can all work together to share that space.
25:36So, each developer and each project will have a dedicated fisheries liaison officer, who's often come from the fishing sector, so they understand it really well.
25:46Given what we're learning about the potential environmental impact of these things, are we rolling them out too fast?
25:51I don't think we are actually, Tom. I think we're in a climate emergency, so we need to move really quickly to a renewable-based energy system.
26:01The UK government told Countryfile that they're making sure our seabed is sustainably unlocked for offshore wind, avoiding the most environmentally sensitive areas and minimising impact on fishing and marine life.
26:16They have also promised £360 million to support the next generation of fishers, and say they're bringing thousands of skilled jobs to coastal towns through offshore wind projects.
26:31Back on board the RRS Discovery and its voyage to investigate the environmental impact of offshore wind farms, the samples from the sea are now coming in.
26:41So how do we get this to the microscope?
26:44I'm going to get you to rinse everything off the mesh.
26:47With this? Yep.
26:48So that's just filtered seawater, and it's all going to go through the funnel into the sample pot.
26:54Louise Gow is from the Scottish Association for Marine Science.
26:59You can see here that we've got arrow worms, these sort of beansprout-looking things, going across.
27:05And then we've also...
27:06Oh, they all move?
27:07Yeah, yeah, they're all alive, all moving.
27:09We've got some polykeeps, these sort of feather-like-looking ones.
27:13And then we've also got these copepods.
27:16You see the pigmentation on all of them?
27:18Yeah.
27:19So these are crustaceans.
27:20And they suddenly flick and move.
27:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.
27:23They have a lot of energy.
27:24Yeah, yeah, yeah.
27:25These plankton pack a punch.
27:27They're the foundation of the ocean food chain and pump out about half the oxygen we breathe.
27:32Why do these tiny, kind of microscopic things matter in our story, you know, when it comes to epic, huge wind turbines?
27:39So we think these wind turbines might increase the growth of these.
27:43At the moment, our understanding of how the climate's changing is that the biological productivity of a place like the North Sea is likely to drop.
27:51So the wind turbines might actually be operating against that and helping us maintain the productivity.
27:56And you have to have these.
27:57If you don't have these, you don't have fish.
27:59This major discovery of how wind turbines could change plankton numbers, along with other findings by the research teams,
28:11is being used to develop accurate modelling, which aims to show the effects, good and bad, of offshore wind farms,
28:18not just on seabirds and the fishing industry, but impacts for the whole ecosystem.
28:24And it won't just look at today. It'll show us what might happen over the next 25 years.
28:31Should we slow down the deployment of wind until we know some of the answers?
28:35I would say climate change is just too, too much of a problem.
28:38We should know the answers.
28:40We're working directly with the big developers and with the fishing industry.
28:44We're really trying to come up with solutions that speed things up, don't slow things down.
28:48From harvesting the wind to harvesting apples, I'm inside a country.
29:05This traditional orchard is right on the edge of the western site.
29:09And obviously it's important because it provides apples.
29:13But these old orchards are much more important than that.
29:16In fact, they're critical to the local wildlife.
29:19One such orchard lies in Boddenham Nature Reserve, around 10 miles north of Hereford.
29:28Here, Toby Fountain, the Nature Recovery Officer for Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, has a very important job to do.
29:36We're at the traditional orchard section of Boddenham Lake Nature Reserve.
29:41It's famous for the wetland, where you can see things like otters and wetland birds.
29:46But we've also got arguably Herefordshire's flagship habitat, which is traditional orchard.
29:51It's only really been recognised in the last 20 years or so that orchards, despite being man-made and despite being agricultural,
29:58are in fact one of the most biodiverse habitats we have in Britain.
30:02So I'm here today to see if this lovely traditional orchard here meets the standard to be a protected site for wildlife.
30:09So this fallen fruit to some people might look like a waste, but this is one of the reasons why orchards, unlike most habitats,
30:18are actually really vibrant and come alive this time of year.
30:21Because this is a fantastic food source for a variety of wildlife.
30:25Insects like bees and butterflies feed on the rotting fruit, which in turn attracts mammals and birds.
30:33So this is very much a period of transition in terms of birds.
30:37We've got some of the iconic breeding species associated with orchards, like redstarts.
30:42One of my favourite birds, I think possibly the most beautiful songbird in Britain.
30:46Lovely red tail, black face mask, ashy grey head.
30:51And if I had to name a county bird of Herefordshire, that would be the one.
30:54But coming in, a new cast of species is arriving from colder places.
31:01So we're getting field fair and redwing, which are two types of thrush,
31:05which love to feed on this rotting fruit.
31:09Over the winter, a fantastic food source.
31:12That's actually quite a rare butterfly. One second.
31:15I'm not actually joking.
31:18So this is a clouded yellow. This is a migratory butterfly.
31:21First one I've seen this year, actually.
31:24Typically, clouded yellows first appear in the UK each year around May.
31:29Butterflies are quite common in orchards at this time of year.
31:32They're stocking up on the sugar from these fallen fruit.
31:35So things like red admirals, peacocks, comma, and a lovely clouded yellow.
31:41I actually don't remember a time where I wasn't obsessed with nature.
31:46It all began, really, in my childhood garden
31:48and just being stood by a buddleia bush watching all the peacocks and red admirals.
31:51What a magical little experience, you know.
31:53Even those little experiences in your garden can really go a long way.
31:57Ooh!
32:03Sparrowhawk. Death on wings.
32:08This is probably the most exciting and interesting feature of this habitat,
32:15and this orchard has an abundance of it, and that is standing deadwood.
32:21And the reason why standing deadwood is so exceptional for wildlife
32:25is that it's exploited by wood-boring invertebrates.
32:29You can see the tunnels of what are probably beetle larvae in the wood.
32:34Now, deadwood is much softer and therefore more accessible to animals
32:39that feed on wood-boring invertebrates,
32:41and one of these is what I think is the most interesting
32:45and mysterious breeding bird in Britain,
32:47and that is the lesser-spotted woodpecker.
32:51I've only ever seen three in my life,
32:53and I was absolutely shocked the first time I saw one.
32:56They are teeny-tiny, the size of a sparrow,
32:59much smaller than the common great-spotted woodpecker.
33:02And because of their tiny size,
33:04they are less able to bore into harder livewood,
33:07and therefore need an abundance of this soft, crumbly deadwood
33:11where they can access the wood-boring invertebrate food source that they need.
33:15So this is a beetle larvae which is living inside the tree,
33:18feeding on decaying organic matter,
33:21which is very inaccessible to most birds,
33:24which is why woodpeckers have evolved this ingenious niche
33:27to exploit this very, very valuable food source.
33:35So as of today, on the basis of the survey that I've conducted
33:38and the evidence I've collected,
33:40this site will officially be a separate traditional orchard local wildlife site.
33:45Despite the fact that it's part of an existing nature reserve,
33:48this will recognise the unique ecological attributes
33:51that this special habitat provides.
33:54It obliges that whoever owns this orchard in the future
33:57has to maintain it as this special habitat,
33:59and that it cannot be built on.
34:01So this will hopefully ensure the integrity and character
34:05of this fantastic habitat.
34:07I feel immensely privileged to be doing this for a living
34:12because I feel like, on a small level,
34:15I'm securing the future of some extremely important habitats,
34:18and I hope that people like the four-year-old self that I used to be,
34:21who was curious and naive and wanted to know everything about the natural world,
34:24can come to places like this and recognise why they're so valuable,
34:28why they're so interesting for many, many years to come.
34:31And this week is BBC Nature Week,
34:35so what better time to explore the wild outdoors near you?
34:39To find more outdoor inspiration,
34:41go to bbc.co.uk forward slash nature week.
34:46A few weeks ago, John, Hamza and guest judge, Dame Maggie Adairin Pocock,
35:02had the mammoth task of sifting through thousands of entries
35:06to our annual photography competition.
35:09This is going to be a tough job.
35:11And, you know, each year they get better.
35:14Each one hoping for a place in this year's Countryfile Calendar.
35:18And the wait is over.
35:20It's finally time to reveal the winner of the Countryfile Photographic Competition
35:25and also unveil the Countryfile Calendar for 2026,
35:29which we sell in order to BBC Children in Need.
35:32And I have the first one here with the winner's photo on the cover.
35:37It's hot off the press.
35:39This year's theme was Wild Encounters,
35:42and we had an incredible response.
35:45More than 17,000 images were sent in,
35:49capturing the beauty of our countryside.
35:52From rugged landscapes to whimsical wildlife,
35:58your photos truly impressed and inspired us.
36:02As always, narrowing them down to just 12 for the calendar
36:08and choosing a judge's favourite was no easy task.
36:12And then we asked you to vote for the one that you like best.
36:17And when the votes were in, there was no doubt.
36:20One photo swept the board.
36:22It was both the judge's choice and it won the viewer's vote.
36:26And this is it.
36:28Aurora Arborealis by John Ray from Stirlingshire in Scotland,
36:34a lone tree against the Northern Lights.
36:38John's photograph will not only appear on the cover of the 2026 Countryfile Calendar
36:44and feature as the image for December,
36:47but he'll also receive a £1500 gift card towards photographic equipment
36:52for winning both the public vote as well as for being the judge's favourite.
36:59Hello, John.
37:00Nice to meet you.
37:01And you.
37:02And congratulations.
37:03Thank you very much.
37:04You're a double winner.
37:05Thank you very much.
37:06You must be very proud.
37:07Very honoured, yeah.
37:08And I hear you almost didn't take it.
37:10That's correct, yes.
37:11It was my eldest son, Stephen, who's also into his photography.
37:16He called me one night and I was in bed.
37:18He has this app that shows you when there's going to be activity with Aurora
37:21and he said, look, I'm going to go out, Dad, do you want to come with me?
37:24And we'd tried before without any success.
37:27And then I thought, can't be bothered, you know, just go out and let me know how you get on.
37:32So I put the phone down and then I suddenly thought,
37:34if he goes out and get some good images, I'm going to be really cross with myself.
37:38It turned out to be very special, your photo.
37:40And in fact, I have it here in this envelope if you'd like to open it
37:45and be the first person, including me, ever to see the 2026 calendar.
37:50My goodness.
37:51OK.
37:53Wow.
37:54Wow.
37:55How about that?
37:57That's special.
37:58That's the first time I've seen it in print.
38:00Well, lone tree is a very favourite subject for lots of our photographers,
38:04but to have the northern lights behind that one is so spectacular, isn't it?
38:08Yeah, thank you.
38:09Yeah, it came out really well.
38:10Any tips for viewers who might be thinking about entering next year?
38:14Just have a go.
38:15I mean, don't overthink things.
38:16If you see something and you think, that looks nice, take a photograph and go for it.
38:21Well, congratulations to you.
38:22Thanks very much.
38:23Just one last thing.
38:24Yeah.
38:25Can I get a quick snap before you go?
38:26Well, this is an honour.
38:27Just there, John would be fine.
38:28OK.
38:29That's superb.
38:30Holding the calendar.
38:31That's perfect, Theo.
38:32How's that?
38:33Well, every photo in the calendar was taken by viewers like John, so thank you so much
38:43to everybody who took part in the competition.
38:46And if you'd like to buy one of these calendars for 2026, here's how you do it.
38:53It costs £11.99, which includes UK delivery.
38:58You can go to our website, bbc.co.uk forward slash country file, where you'll find a link
39:05to the online order page, or you can call 0330-333-4564 to place your order by phone.
39:17Standard geographic charges will apply to both landlines and mobiles.
39:22The phone line will be available from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and Saturdays from 10am
39:30to 4pm.
39:32If you prefer to order by post, then send your name, address, and a cheque to BBC Countryfile
39:39Calendar, PO Box 25, Melton Mowbray, LE131ZG, and please make your cheques payable to BBC Countryfile
39:50Calendar.
39:51A minimum of £5.50 from the sale of each calendar will be donated to BBC Children in Need.
40:01Over the years, your support has helped the Countryfile Calendar raise more than £33 million
40:07for BBC Children in Need.
40:09The photographs taken by viewers not only brighten up our homes, but they help to change the
40:15lives of countless families right across the UK.
40:19So thank you.
40:20Well, it's a glorious autumnal day here in Herefordshire, but I wonder what the weather's going to have in store
40:34for us for the week ahead. Here's the Countryfile forecast.
40:41It certainly has been glorious across many parts of the country, but also some of us have been stuck
40:50underneath the cloud of a big area of high pressure over us right now, and the barometer's pointing to
40:56little change in the week ahead. It's going to be mostly dry, areas of clouds, some sunny spells and mist and fog
41:04as expected in prone locations. And here's a picture from earlier this morning on Sunday, a fog bow with mist and fog
41:11close to the ground, and you've got the clearer blue skies above. Now this satellite picture shows how the cloud is swirling
41:17within the centre of the high pressure. It's from the last few days or so, and high pressures usually mean that the atmosphere
41:24is stuck over us right now. It's not really changing an awful lot and the winds blowing around like so.
41:30So if you're in the centre of the high, that's where you tend to get the light winds and the clear skies.
41:34And it's all part of a bigger pattern you can see in the atmosphere. This is the jet stream.
41:38When you have two areas of low pressure either side of the high pressure, this is called an omega block, you don't get much
41:44change. That high pressure sticks around. And that of course means we don't get any weather fronts heading our way,
41:49which means it is going to be dry. And this is the rainfall for the next few days. All the rain is being deflected
41:54towards the north, towards Norway. So the forecast then for the rest of Sunday and into Monday, the centre of the
42:00high pressure is clear and calm here. But where we have clear and calm weather, we also have mist and fog.
42:05So there could be some in the lowlands, perhaps Northern Ireland around the lakes and further south. But almost anywhere with
42:11clearer skies could see some mist and fog. But it doesn't last for very long. It does tend to lift and clear to those
42:18clear blue skies. So glorious weather for some of us. But this part of the country, that many areas of England
42:23could be stuck underneath the cloud from around about Lincolnshire and the Midlands southwards.
42:28But despite that, the temperatures will still reach around 17 or 18 Celsius in the warmer spots.
42:34But it probably won't feel like it because of the thick cloud, the lack of sunshine.
42:38Here's Tuesday, more or less the same. The centre of the high is still around about the Irish Sea.
42:42This is where we have the best of the weather and sort of the edges of the high pressure tend to be
42:46rather on the cloudy side. So the high is still with us Tuesday and also into Wednesday.
42:52One thing that's worth mentioning is that it's not going to be particularly frosty this week.
42:56Of course, this time of the year when we tend to have cold highs and this is not a particularly cold high.
43:01Well, we do get the frosts, but not on this occasion. It's going to be relatively mild both by night and by day.
43:07And again, on Wednesday, you can see these values around 14 to 16 Celsius.
43:11There will be a tendency for the temperatures to perhaps drop a little bit as we go through the course of the week.
43:16And that's because not everybody's getting the sunshine. So that sun's not heating up the land.
43:20But the high pressure changes shape a little bit on Thursday. It doesn't mean that the weather is going to change an awful lot.
43:26It just means that some areas will have more sunshine than others and vice versa.
43:30Some areas could be a little more cloudy again with the atmosphere blocked.
43:34We're not seeing any changes of air mass. So that means that the temperatures are about the same.
43:39But then things do tend to change a little bit from around about Saturday onwards.
43:44Look at this. This area of low pressure approaches the UK, but it sinks southwards.
43:47And yet another area of high pressure establishes itself, establishes itself across the UK.
43:53And that, of course, means more dry weather.
43:55So this is the outlook for this coming Friday, the weekend and the following week.
44:00I think the uncertainty is from around about Sunday onwards.
44:03So what happens in the following week? Bit of a question mark.
44:07We do need the rainfall because, of course, some parts of the country are still in drought.
44:11Bye bye.
44:14We're in Herefordshire for a tale of two-siders. Small batch makers prize character and tradition.
44:29My word. What a contraption.
44:32But hand crafting always comes with a premium price tag.
44:36Big producers keep supermarket shelves full and prices down.
44:41There is not an apple left.
44:44Though some may argue large scale lacks the soul of traditional cider making.
44:53Our hall of apples has arrived at the Western Cider Mill.
44:58Process team lead Jack Berry is giving me exclusive access into the heart of the operation,
45:04starting with the traditional oak vats.
45:07You don't appreciate, do you, just how big they are?
45:10No. These are massive.
45:12Yeah, these are quite small compared to the biggest one we've got around the corner.
45:16So Squeak's the biggest.
45:17And these three here, Harreford, Gloucester and Worcester, are the original three that hang with them.
45:22Really?
45:23Yeah.
45:24So they're really old?
45:25Yeah.
45:26And still used?
45:27Yeah, still used, yeah. Still used today.
45:30Oh, the smell is lovely as you get round this corner.
45:32The smell of the oak.
45:33Yeah.
45:34Jack, wherever you look, there are pipes.
45:37Here, above us.
45:39Yeah.
45:40Do you know where everything's going?
45:42Most of them.
45:43Each filter's got its own transfer line.
45:45So there's two juice lines that come from the press floor.
45:47Right.
45:48And they fly over our heads and they come out the other side of the building
45:51before going down to the bottom tank farm.
45:53The stainless steel vats.
45:56To turn this apple juice into apple cider, it needs industrial levels of yeast.
46:03Ooh!
46:04That is surreal.
46:06How much in here?
46:07That's ten kilos, that one.
46:08Ten kilos.
46:09Yeah.
46:10Yeah, it's not quite what I use when I'm making bread, is it?
46:12That's it.
46:13And just bang it on there.
46:15Oh, that's quite good.
46:16Break it all up, yeah.
46:18Gradually pour it in.
46:19Gradually?
46:20Yeah.
46:21And you'll see the apple juice sort of change to the milky colour as well as the yeast goes in there.
46:24How mad will you be if I drop it in?
46:26It wouldn't be the first person to do it.
46:27Really?
46:30Satisfying bubbles.
46:31Yeah, let's go in there.
46:33All done.
46:34There you are, see?
46:35Natural.
46:37From here, the juice travels out to the huge vats where it ferments and matures.
46:43And six months later, cider is pumped all the way back again to be filtered.
46:49This is our cross-flow filtration, so we've got four of these.
46:52So what you can see down there is the cider coming in, so this is from the vats.
46:55Oh, here?
46:56Yeah, that there.
46:57Wow, that's kind of milky looking.
46:59Yeah, so that's got the haze, that's got the cloudiness of it.
47:01The haze.
47:02Yeah, so if you like a cloudiness, that's the sort of cider you'll be drinking.
47:05Okay.
47:06It then goes through the modules.
47:07All of them?
47:08Yeah, from the bottom to the top.
47:09So the filtered cider will come through the outside.
47:11Yeah.
47:12And then the unfiltered stuff will go back through the system, basically.
47:15Right.
47:16And then the filtered product you can see in this sight glass up here.
47:18Magically clear?
47:19Magically clear.
47:20And how long does this whole process take?
47:22So we can do about 10,000 litres an hour.
47:24Crikey, that's really fast.
47:25Quite a quick process, yeah.
47:26I think drinking the cloudier stuff, I think that makes me look sophisticated.
47:30No, I'm for the clear, the clear signs for myself, yeah.
47:35The juice of the apples I harvested earlier will need at least six months in the vats.
47:41But last year's crop is now ready for the next part of the process.
47:45Master cider maker Guy Lawrence is in charge of what's surely the best stage of all, the blending.
47:52So welcome to the lab.
47:54This is where we do all our wet analysis.
47:57This is what you start with, is it, the juice?
47:59This has just been pressed today.
48:00Would you like to try it?
48:01So that's dark, isn't it, for an apple juice?
48:03Yes, it is.
48:04But we want it to be dark, because it gives it colour.
48:07Oh, right.
48:08So when we get to this stage, when it's finished fermenting, and it's at the point where we're
48:12ready to use it, the darker the better.
48:14It gives it more the straw colour that you would expect with a cider.
48:17Well, that's really nice, actually.
48:18I was expecting it to be a bit tarter than that, because they're cider apples, but that's
48:21very nice.
48:22So we use bittersweet apples.
48:23The bittersweet tend to be high in tanning and low in acidity.
48:27It's easier to blend.
48:28It's easier to design ciders.
48:30If it's a high acidity, you're only limited to what you can do.
48:34I have a treat today, mixing up my own blend of cider in the lab, aiming for a 4% cider.
48:42Ish.
48:43We'll try the BCO2, which is what we're going to use today to make your cider.
48:47Right.
48:48So that's at the beginning of it all.
48:49Yeah.
48:50So this is fermented to 10 and a half percent.
48:53So it's flat?
48:54It's flat, yes.
48:55Nice.
48:56So this is a base cider.
48:57So this is what goes into making our products.
48:58So when it comes down to making the product, we water it down to the alcohol strength we
49:02want.
49:03We then add sugar to give it the sweetness back, and then we add malic acid to balance it
49:08out to get the acidity right.
49:10It's quite whiny.
49:14I mean, it's quite tart, shall we say.
49:19Yeah.
49:20So when you water that down, you'll lose that.
49:22And this is where an artisan person wouldn't have any of this.
49:26They might tinker with it.
49:27But if you want a cider that's going to be roughly the same every time I drink it, even
49:31if I drink it in different pubs, you've got to control it more.
49:34Yes, exactly.
49:35OK.
49:36Isn't there a tension here, though, between what you're sort of selling, which is a picture
49:41of a Victorian man on a traditional bottle, and what's actually happening, which is lots
49:45of people in white coats in a lab?
49:47Yeah, we do.
49:48Exactly the same way as Henry Weston did back in 1880.
49:50Well, he wasn't mucking around with acid and all that stuff, was he?
49:52No, because he didn't have a chance to, did he?
49:53We just have modern techniques.
49:54You know, he would have used a leg of lamb as a nutrient, where we used diamond phosphate.
49:59I'm glad that bit's changed.
50:01So am I.
50:02We're going to make two litres up.
50:04What could possibly go wrong?
50:05Nothing.
50:10Spot on.
50:11Look at that.
50:15Now, the next step is to measure out the liquid sugar.
50:1843 mils.
50:20Whoa!
50:21That was a good start.
50:22Very well done.
50:23I think that's good.
50:24Do you know that's about right?
50:25And then mix.
50:26And then give it a good mix, to make it up to two litres.
50:38Okay.
50:39Okay.
50:40It's yours as mine.
50:41So, slightly cloudy.
50:42Yeah.
50:43It's more dry than medium dry.
50:44Yeah, good.
50:45And it should be balanced.
50:46How's that?
50:47That's actually quite good, isn't it?
50:48It is.
50:49Do you want a job?
50:50Yeah, you're on.
50:51Cheers.
50:52Cheers.
50:53All the best.
50:54Mmm.
50:55Very good.
50:56Very good.
50:58For cider makers, flavour is key.
50:59For big producers, consistency is vital.
51:00Of course, you can have a good spot on.
51:01How's that?
51:02That's actually quite good, isn't I?
51:03It is.
51:04Do you want a job?
51:05Yeah, you're on.
51:06Cheers.
51:07All the best.
51:08Cheers.
51:10Mmm.
51:11Very good.
51:25For cider makers, flavour is key.
51:26For big producers, consistency is vital,
51:29while for Tom and Lydia, it's variety.
51:33Well, this is where Lydia and Tom press their apples,
51:35and their ethos is rooted in low-intervention methods
51:40and honouring cider-making's traditional past.
51:43This certainly looks like it comes from the past.
51:45In fact, I don't want to be rude,
51:46but it looks like something out of Wallace and Gromit.
51:48Hello, guys. How are you doing?
51:50Very well. My word, look at this.
51:52Hello, hello.
51:53What a contraption. Where's this come from?
51:55This wonderful machine was obtained from northern France
51:58in the mid-'80s.
52:00So, I've seen lots of apple presses,
52:02but I don't think I've ever seen it all in one machine like this.
52:06Yes, I think it is unusual.
52:07It was, I think, really designed to be a travelling press
52:10when it was built, so it could trundle around the countryside
52:12and you could take it to various farms
52:14and press the fruit or whatever was there at the time.
52:16Wonderful. So, how can I help?
52:18Well, we do need a third person to run it, Adam,
52:21so you've come at a good time. You're going to help me build the cheese
52:24and Lydia will look after the fruit supplyant.
52:26Right. Well, I'll let you fire her up.
52:28Off we go.
52:30No cheddar here.
52:32Tom's borrowed a cheese-making technique
52:34that extracts moisture from curd,
52:36or apples in this case.
52:41Here we go. Let's make some apple juice.
52:44Right, so now Lydia's going to feed in the apples.
52:46They're going to come up into here
52:47where they're going to be crushed into the hopper
52:49and away we go.
52:52Right.
52:53You need to get yourself a little bit of clop.
52:57There we go.
52:59And then we put the pollen in like that
53:02and then...
53:03Ready?
53:04Yep.
53:08There we go.
53:10And then this way just distribute round.
53:16A little bit at a time, is it?
53:17Yeah, I don't want to overfill it,
53:19I don't want to on-fill it,
53:20and I want to get it nice and flat and leveled.
53:22Yeah.
53:23And I lift this off, you get one of those wooden rags.
53:28Perfect.
53:29Still getting the hang of this.
53:32Slowly.
53:39All right, this is the last one.
53:40Okay.
53:41Now we have to pull it under the press.
53:43Right back, all the way, a little bit further.
53:45That's good, just like that.
53:46Perfect.
53:47So this is the moment of truth.
53:49Out comes the cork.
53:51In goes the juice.
53:52There it is.
53:53The golden nectar.
53:55Lovely.
53:56So now this really powerful ram
53:59is pushing the press down onto the cheeses,
54:01and the apple juice is just pouring out
54:04from this apple pulp into the bucket.
54:05It just feels really lovely,
54:08this sort of traditional, slow way
54:11of making a high-quality product
54:13from apple varieties that are now quite rare.
54:18Their cider takes from 18 months to three years
54:21to ferment and bottle up.
54:24Thankfully, Lydia sets them aside for us to sample.
54:27Hello.
54:29Hello, hello.
54:30There we are.
54:30What a team we are.
54:31Yeah, look at that.
54:31What a team.
54:32We deserve some cider.
54:33So what have we got here, then, Lydia?
54:35So this is a 2023 cider
54:36made from the apple we picked this morning,
54:38the knotted kernel.
54:39Lovely.
54:39Who's going to do the honours?
54:40It has the delightful effect
54:42of making a lovely pop when you...
54:44Lovely.
54:45...when you open it.
54:46And drank in a wine glass.
54:48Absolutely, yeah.
54:49I think this is a much more elegant way
54:50to drink something that has taken a long time to make.
54:53It's nothing but the fruit
54:54that we've hand-picked in here, so...
54:56Well, cheers.
54:56What's ale?
54:57What's ale?
54:57They have very good health.
55:03I can taste, you know,
55:04that beautiful apple in there,
55:06but so different to what you might get out of a tap in the pub.
55:10Absolutely.
55:11So tell me, you know, all this hard work,
55:14you've got these ancient machines,
55:16you're hand-picking, you're complete purists.
55:20You're trying to scale up, are you?
55:23I'm...
55:23I'm quite anti-growth.
55:25I don't really believe in trying to sort of conquer the world with this stuff.
55:29I mean, I don't want to compromise on the way that we do things,
55:32because this is truly an art for me.
55:34Yes.
55:34So the people that get to try are very small batch siders.
55:37It's lucky them.
55:38And, yeah.
55:40And this is where I beg to differ.
55:42You've quite like to make some money.
55:44We do, too.
55:44I mean, much as I love the current scale we're at,
55:47I'm very keen to build a larger facility
55:49that would allow us just to produce maybe twice as much as we currently do.
55:53So that would get us into the next level,
55:55and I hope also into the point where
55:57I could have something in the future known as, I think, it's called a pension.
56:01But where we agree is that we're never going to go beyond it being human scale,
56:04so we're always going to be doing stuff with our hands.
56:06Yes.
56:06Well, congratulations.
56:09Come back and help any time.
56:15Well, I've just stepped away from Tom and Lydia,
56:18and I have to say I'm so impressed.
56:21Of course, it's small scale, it's niche,
56:24and they're never going to get rich,
56:26but what they've got is a whole connection to the earth,
56:29and they're very happy,
56:31and money can't buy happiness.
56:34Look at that.
56:43Oh, Charlotte.
56:45Hello.
56:46Hard at work as ever.
56:48I made that.
56:49Did you?
56:50Yeah, I blended that with, to be fair, quite a lot of help,
56:52but that is my cider.
56:55There you go.
56:55Well done, congratulations.
56:57Have some, what do you think?
56:58Smells good.
56:59It's nice.
57:01That's very nice.
57:02And it's got no label on it.
57:04I know, we need a name and a label, don't we, really?
57:06But is your nickname Queenie?
57:07It is.
57:08Charlotte Victoria, two queens.
57:10We could call it Queenie Cider.
57:12Brilliant.
57:13Right, well, we come up with a business plan.
57:15Let's talk about next week here on Countryfile, when we'll be in Kent, visiting a landscape which could become the world's first UNESCO cross-channel geopark.
57:25I can't quite compute that I am touching something that is 100 million years old.
57:32It is magical, isn't it?
57:34It takes you back to being a kid again.
57:35You're not making life easy for yourself in your retirement, are you?
57:39Yeah.
57:40I'm making wine and feeling fine.
57:42Good lad.
57:43That's all right.
57:44Would you like to release?
57:45Yeah.
57:46He's gone.
57:47He ends off.
57:50That's at 5.15 next Sunday.
57:53Hope you can join us then.
57:54Bye-bye.
57:55Queenie Cider, eh?
57:57Mmm.
57:59I think that's really good.
58:00How do I?
58:01Yeah.
58:05In a brand new series, discover the wildlife hiding in plain sight.
58:09Hamza's Hidden Wild Isles starts next on BBC One.
58:13Exploring the heart of country music, Rob Brydon's honky-tonk road trip is a fun travelogue on iPlayer now.
58:25Me looking home, you wonder the monarch'sine with a like button or anything and learn all
58:32of you?
58:33That's what's going on!
58:40Those who have gaan cinch-tonk road trip to LA, I won't be a sach, not the human gas!
58:46Next time's the lion.
58:49I'm going toign MX.
58:50Your booth?
58:51I'm going to bang M curving the paranormal off.
58:53amendments?
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