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Escape To The Country S26E45
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00:02escaping to the country can evoke a wide range of feelings anticipation can't wait to get in
00:08there would you like to get in there let's go and get in there come on trepidation don't ask
00:16the question I've got to ask the question I'm afraid and often inspiration I thought it was
00:26time to supersize the view certainly done that can't beat that and of course what we feel when
00:34we find our escapees their dream home is a huge sense of gratification they're all sort of tingled
00:42I know yes I know a couple of hairs standing up or whatever yeah lovely really really good
01:10the beauty and grandeur of this landscape has inspired the likes of composer Edward Elgar who
01:17lived here for many years as well as the authors CS Lewis and J RR Tolkien who were frequent visitors
01:24so where are we Worcestershire up in the Malvern Hills it's a bit like nature's roller coaster up
01:33here sweeping views and hidden trails you know whether you're hiking or biking or just enjoying
01:40the views it's a really magical place now your legs might not thank you because some of those trails are
01:47pretty steep but your soul will absolutely love it the West Midlands County of Worcestershire is home to
01:57a large swathe of the Malvern Hills located in the southwest of the county and struggling the border
02:03with Herefordshire the hills stretch for miles and miles so wherever you live in Malvern you're only a few
02:11steps away really from common land we also have spring water which people can collect and drink
02:17for free and that's supposed to have curative properties the town of Upton on seven with its
02:26Georgian architecture and scenic riverside walks is the perfect base for exploring the hills as is the
02:32village of Hanley Swan with its village green pub and duck pond I've moved here 16 years ago from Berkshire
02:41and I'm up the hills probably three or four times a week just taking a different route each time and
02:48it never seems boring there's always something new to see it's just a fantastic place to live and it's
02:54just a perfect location for the quality of life for us and our kids Shirley Sheridan is the squire of
03:02so
03:02excited a visually impaired border Morristown side based in the town of Malvern I love exploring the
03:11Malvern Hills with my guide dog Mikey you walk up the Worcestershire beacon and you will get a sense of
03:19space up there without a doubt let's meet today's couple whose love of exploring the UK has inspired
03:34a life-changing decision they are ready to swap the constant hum of the m25 for the charm and calm
03:40of Worcestershire's Malvern Hills so Keith you are cooking your signature paella dish out in the garden
03:51which currently can only seat about six people and what we want it's a new house with a much bigger
03:58garden you can entertain even more people and I'm just going to tip the camera so you can see that
04:03he
04:03gets even bigger oh yeah and do that with for the past 17 years Amphia and Keith have lived together
04:11in this one-bedroom end of terrace Victorian cottage in the Hertfordshire commuter town of
04:16Rickmansworth our big word is we're upsizing because they're now retired this house simply ain't big
04:25enough for the both of them my current man cave and not really quite big enough Keith plays golf and
04:34I
04:34have to share my very very small living room with this sort of stuff they've just accepted an offer
04:42on their home and have viewed around 16 properties but haven't found anything they like yes I think we've
04:49been mostly disappointed and we have worked out that we're actually not very good at it so we are
04:54relying on escape to the country to work out what it is we actually do want and what we can
05:01achieve and
05:02I guess find that property that we couldn't find no pressure then well Keith and Anthea know they do want
05:09a
05:10detached property with three bedrooms and a spacious kitchen diner outside they're after a workshop or garage
05:16for Keith a good-sized garden and they want to be within walking distance of a village pub their
05:21budget five hundred and twenty thousand pounds
05:34I'm really excited about Keith and Anthea's upsized the Malvern Hills but what slightly concerns me is that
05:41they've looked at loads of properties and not managed to find anything that works for them yet
05:45however we love a challenge on escape to the country and I'm confident we can find them a house
05:51they will call home
05:56a Worcestershire meander through the Malvern Hills begins in the village of Hanley Castle six miles
06:01southeast of the town of Great Malvern chock full of period properties its residents benefit from a
06:08secondary school a pub and a cricket club along with a 900 year old church that sits on the village
06:16green where I'm meeting
06:17Anthea and Keith to chat more about this move
06:21what a glorious day we've got
06:23for our house that's beautiful isn't it so come on you two why are you making this move now what
06:31is it about this point in your life
06:32stop for work
06:34yay
06:36don't use the w word
06:37excellent what do you imagine life being like when you live here what's your vision for it
06:43there's no in a way perhaps no pre-conceived ideas we just want to be able to
06:48get our roots somewhere and find out what's going on around and then just yeah get involved
06:54is this the kind of area you have in mind for when you know
06:59I want to know where the village hall is I want to know where I'm going to go
07:02to do all my activities and Keith talking about possibly taking up beekeeping
07:07so and there was a beekeeper here when we pulled up in the car okay okay and it's peaceful as
07:12well
07:12this is gorgeous well that is music to my ears I'm very happy because the first house that I want
07:17to
07:18show you is right here in this village excellent yes fantastic okay follow me thank you
07:29this detached grade 2 listed cottage believed to date back to the 1660s is the first property we've
07:36lined up for anthea and keith to view it's been thoroughly and sympathetically renovated by the current
07:42owners who consulted with the society for the protection of ancient buildings and
07:47hired timber frame specialists for the restoration work so we don't have too far to walk because
07:56nestled here right in the center of the village is our first property fantastic lovely it's gorgeous
08:02it's so chocolate box isn't it yes absolutely lavender in the front geranium by the front door
08:08yes beautiful beautiful the windows the doors this exactly as your child you would draw a cottage the
08:15location is just gorgeous that's the pub the church the house just ideal it's beautiful absolutely
08:22beautiful can't wait to get in there would you like to get in there let's go and get in there
08:27come on
08:31the house has been upgraded with new electrics plumbing and heating conservation grade solid oak double
08:39glazed windows were installed and insulation was enhanced with sheep wool cork and wood wool boards
08:45finished with thick lime plaster the interior features stripped and lime washed exposed beams and elegant
08:53cream tiles throughout the ground floor complete with underfloor heating so come on in whoa yes
09:03oh lovely oh no really lovely ideal for somewhere to eat fantastic no i like it you can see the
09:15age
09:16when to get in there can't you but they've done a lovely job with their units and stuff
09:20perhaps i'd like perhaps i'd like it a little bit more open flat only because you know i enjoy cooking
09:26and
09:26it's more of a it's like a theater when i you know love to have friends around and they can
09:30see what
09:31you're doing might be a bit limited here the kitchen opens into a room beyond which features more of
09:39those lime washed beams and i just love those this here this is the old bread oven wow oh how
09:46lovely look at
09:47this would you call this a snug it's whatever you want it to be it could be a dining space
09:52yes
09:53actually you can be cooking and the rest of us can be sitting around a table with the wine
09:59this leads to a second reception i think this is going to be the living space where you'll spend
10:05quite a lot of time oh yes yes lovely it is not a big fireplace yep yeah and it's very
10:12much my vibe of
10:14white walls somebody's worked really hard in here to get it up to the stand it's fantastic
10:20well anthea this vibe continues upstairs
10:25yeah i feel like this might be the main bedroom oh yeah gosh it's quite big isn't it a nice
10:33feature
10:33isn't it to have that chimney press might only concern might be wardrobes but
10:39just about enough for me i think we'll sort something else off the keys
10:46there's a second double at the rear of the property and next to the fresh contemporary
10:51family bathroom a third and final bedroom
10:56the whole place is bigger so there's a lot more room here than you know absolutely which works
11:06and now i happen to know that keith is very keen to find a local cricket club so i'm feeling
11:12rather
11:12smug about this next bit because at the end of this very pretty garden is a gate and it opens
11:19onto the
11:20village cricket pitch and the pavilion beyond this is amazing and look at the view of the hills in the
11:27background and what an amazing situation for a cricket club you could just sit there with that view
11:33i mean even i quite like it yeah and i don't really like watching crickets
11:39well there's plenty to occupy anthea in the garden the door from the rear reception opens to a gravel
11:45seating area from which steps lead up to a long lawn bordered by mature beach hedges
11:52in terms of size how does this compare to what you've got oh it's lovely about twice the size easily
11:58twice the size and it's a lovely flat space good for entertaining which is really what we want
12:04there's just one final piece of information that keith and anthea need
12:09your budget is 520 000 pounds yeah where do you think it sits in that
12:17four seven five i'm going okay let's go a bit more actually four nine five four hundred and ninety
12:26five thousand pounds yes okay anthea you are almost bang on all right it's 50 pounds short of 500 000
12:33pounds so you're really close and it has an awful lot going for it really does this thoughtfully
12:41renovated grade two listed cottage offers a contemporary kitchen diner two receptions three
12:47bedrooms and a good size rear garden sitting in the heart of a sought-after village it's on the market
12:53for 499 950 pounds
13:01can you see us living here um they're not 100 certain um no i'm a bit with you i think
13:07the jury's out there's
13:08things about it which are great and other things which not so sure about to be honest and probably
13:12a little bit more quirky actually than i thought it was going to be when you look from the outside
13:16we're
13:17not very quirky beautiful house from the outside it's absolutely stunning uh in the most idyllic
13:25location it's wonderfully quirky and beautifully old but much as this is gorgeous this probably
13:30wouldn't be a forever home because it's not going to suit us in perhaps 15 years time we probably won't
13:35be fit enough to deal with the stairs and the things that the old properties like this have
13:42the house looked lovely from the outside other aspects uh left me a little bit unsure actually
13:48it's listed buildings so not really quite sure where that leaves us if we needed to do anything else at
13:54any
14:06time
14:08the town of great malvern lies at the foot of the malvern hills this former victorian spa town once drew
14:15visitors with the healing powers of its spring water that's really good i've got to always like
14:24today people come to experience the malverns on foot or by bike using the many trails that lead
14:33directly from the town into the hills some even opt to take in the spectacular scenery from the sky
14:43and when they're done there's a host of cafes tea rooms and restaurants in which to refuel
14:49how long have you been open here um four years up here
14:56malvern's a fantastic really friendly welcoming community and we are so incredibly lucky to have
15:00the hills on our doorstep and even just a short walk up in the hills can give you a good
15:03reset help
15:04put things in perspective there's so many fantastic independent businesses here you've also got the likes of
15:09malvern theater three-county showground which hosts an array of really good events that bring people
15:13in from all around so yeah for a small fairly small little town there's a lot going on
15:20the town has a train station with direct links to hereford birmingham and london
15:26and the m5 and m50 are both within a 20-minute drive
15:30this heady mix of great transport links and breathtaking scenery plus a thriving high street
15:36ensures the town consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the midlands malvern is very
15:43vibrant at the moment the community spirit is lovely for a for a small town you'd think we were
15:48a village really because everybody's so friendly keith and anthea are sure to make friends at the
15:54malvern cube a community and arts center a short walk from the town center michelle newell the manager
16:01and aidan lawrence who runs the local u3a group have kindly agreed to give keith and anthea a rundown on
16:07what goes on here we've got a bustling cafe which operates monday to friday we've got quite a detailed
16:16event program so we have live music most weekends we've got three resident theater groups that are based
16:22here we've got a gardening group which is very active brilliant keith i'm aware that you're quite
16:28interested in diy is that is that correct i certainly am yeah got a little repair shop i suppose my
16:33own
16:33in my garage at home there's plenty of opportunity here we've got a repair cafe that's one of the
16:39largest in the country so they're always looking out for volunteers and that means monthly i remember
16:45the local university of third age and the cube is one of our primary venues 15 of our groups use
16:51the cube on a on a monthly basis so that's everything from table tennis painting groups
16:57i belong to a play reading group i've been here nine years i moved here for the hills and for
17:02the
17:02theater yes and it was one of the best decisions i ever made oh good well just the sort of
17:08place
17:09we want to get involved in amazing
17:14having explored the town i thought we'd end our day soaking up the vistas
17:18from one of the many vantage points on the hills
17:27this is why you're moving here isn't it this is just perfect it's absolutely lovely breathtaking
17:33i could just hear for hours looking at that it's incredible which is quite something because anthe
17:38is not prone to sitting down for a very long time at any time no but how do you feel
17:42now you're here and
17:43we've spent some time exploring we can actually do this though we we will we will actually do this
17:50we have to actually do this the house has been sold and yeah if we don't find somewhere we're going
17:56to
17:56be homeless i don't want to see you without anywhere to live here and having to use this lovely bench
18:01well i've slept on benches before the worst places to spend the night but anyway we have a great day's
18:09house hunting waiting for us tomorrow and i am really feeling quite confident that we can find
18:14something that will give you that pulling on the heartstrings and also will prove to be a good
18:20practical choice for you as well absolutely because let's face it the sooner you're here enjoying this
18:25better that would be fantastic can't wait yes it is beautiful place quite idyllic
18:43we got off to a great start yesterday anthea was excited and emotional and keith well i think we saw
18:50his practical side but i have high hopes for today's two properties which of course include
18:56the mystery house and i think that they will encourage keith to wear his heart on his sleeve
19:03our day begins in the worcestershire hamlet of broadmoore green just under two miles from the
19:08village of bransford where there's a family-run cafe and grocery store a pub an organic farm shop with a
19:18cafe as well as a golf club and a cricket club a four minute drive from which sits our next
19:25property
19:29oh look at this it's pretty isn't it wow oh my gosh it's a little hidden gem in a very
19:38very friendly
19:39active village absolutely lovely i love what they've done with the garden english country garden
19:46quintessential i think it's lovely i love all these different types of fir tree you know the pines
19:50they're beautiful and just like the frontage is is gorgeous really really lovely bright and light good
19:55well you've got two entrances that you can use there's one over there but we're going to go
19:59around the side so should we go and and check it out inside yes please can't wait
20:06this detached cottage dating back to the early 1900s has been home to the present owners for the past
20:12eight years during that time they've refurbished the property to a high standard reworking the layout
20:19to create a spacious kitchen diner which is where we're heading first
20:28so i know the kitchen and the entertaining space is important to you guys wow that's brilliant this is
20:35oh yes gosh this is exactly what we'd sort of wanted hope for this is probably one of the most
20:43important spaces for us the kitchen diner was the one thing that we really valued above all else and
20:49this is i think even on the outside we said it's got a nice feel about it but yeah four
20:54coming in and
20:54uh yeah this just enhances that i'd love to be able to perform my cooking skills in this kitchen and
21:01this
21:02space ideal absolutely ideal the first of this property's two reception rooms is directly off
21:09the kitchen i think if you might need to duck slightly it's fine for me i don't wear high heels
21:16anymore this is amazing oh this is gorgeous actually you can see the character lovely yes
21:22and the ceiling although it low it makes it really nice and cozy so come on into what i think
21:27will be the main living space this is more of a nice reading room yeah so slightly higher ceiling
21:33height in here yes slightly brighter bigger room oh it's really stunning and having the choice of
21:39two rooms means that keith can watch sports and i can do something else in another room it's cute
21:45isn't it i mean it's all but lovely it feels really warm and homely so no i like that i'm
21:50no delighted
21:51absolutely delighted yes a little sort of tingle i know yes i know a couple of hair standing up
21:57on the back of my neck or whatever yeah lovely really really good feeling
22:05i'm hoping these positive feelings will continue upstairs this staircase in the cozy snug leads to a
22:12spacious family bathroom with a roll top tub and a separate shower it serves two double bedrooms one with
22:19two roof lights and original exposed floorboards and this one in the more modern addition to the house
22:27gosh look at this room
22:30oh this is perfect it's so much character to it it's superb lovely beautiful beautiful just
22:37beautiful i mean fancy waking up to that lovely views out that window i know i know
22:46back through the sitting room a door leads to the main entrance hall
22:51beautiful glass this is lovely watch the little step okay this is fantastic
22:58off which is a downstairs shower room wow brilliant
23:05this staircase leads to a mezzanine style guest room oh this is ideal
23:10meaning guests can have their very own wing of the house
23:15quite exciting actually i know i can't i can't really fault anything all just
23:20overall it's just no it's just perfect
23:28outside is just as impressive the front garden faces east ideal for enjoying a morning coffee
23:35while the west facing rear garden catches the late afternoon and evening sun
23:41this is so pretty running through gosh look roses ideal oh and sweet peas growing up in the tree
23:50honestly couldn't be more perfect
23:55the garden is divided into several distinct areas in addition to the lawn there's a patio a shed
24:03plus a summer house with a covered deck and from every single angle you can enjoy views across the open
24:09countryside
24:13i'm just trying to figure out which corner of the garden will be my gin and tonic spa
24:21i get a feeling keith and anthea feel this place is priceless but of course that's not how it works
24:27here on escape so let's get down to the nitty-gritty
24:32don't ask the question i'm gonna ask the question i've got to ask the question i'm afraid your budget is
24:38five hundred and twenty thousand pounds i'm gonna go full price five twenty five hundred twenty thousand
24:43okay keith um i wouldn't be surprised if it's a little bit more actually i was at 5 30. all
24:49right so you're
24:49going over okay it is over budget it's on the market for 550 000 pounds i don't want you to
24:56get
24:57too dismayed with that because we feel there is a deal to be done on this property and you are
25:02in a
25:02very strong position yeah so having sold having a very short chain i'm sure you can see the value in
25:09it
25:09oh gosh i mean there's nothing to do it is absolutely pristine completely pristine and movable innable
25:16movable innable absolutely the upsize begins here
25:22this detached victorian cottage boasts a spacious kitchen diner
25:26a cozy snug a sitting room and three bedrooms outside there are beautiful cottage gardens to
25:32both the front and rear and it's on the market for offers over 550 000 pounds
25:41the house has just met every expectation it's everything we're looking for in a house really so
25:48and more and more
25:53we've seen absolutely nothing that has begun to match up to this we've not even been remotely tempted to any
26:04of the others so this is way way above and beyond our expectations so could not be happier and now
26:13we can just all go home there's no need to go to another one
26:32if the magic of the malvern hills is enticing you to move here here's the lowdown on property prices in
26:39the area the average cost of a detached home in the uk is a little over 436 000 pounds in
26:46worcestershire
26:47the price rises to nearly 456 000 pounds and within the district of the malvern hills it's just shy of
26:54four hundred and ninety three thousand pounds take a look at some more properties currently on the market
27:05this grade two listed terrace cottage has been beautifully refurbished and features a living room
27:12updated oak kitchen two double bedrooms a modern bathroom and a dinky rear courtyard it's on the market
27:22for offers in the region of 220 000 pounds also grade two listed this detached three bedroom cottage
27:30has a spacious sitting room an inviting snug and a large kitchen dining with luxury cabinets and granite
27:38worktops outside is a cottage garden with stunning views and it's available for 625 000 pounds
27:49and it's available for 625 000 pounds or why not escape to this shepherd's hut perfect for a short break
27:53away from the modern world it sleeps too and has exclusive access to a wet room loo and self-catering
28:01space just a few steps away prices start from 130 pounds for a two-night minimum stay
28:15it's time for our mystery house and as we have a potential contender in the mix we thought we'd take
28:20a risk and cross the border into gloucestershire swapping one protected landscape for another
28:26we're heading for the village of lidbrook in the forest of dean
28:32this busy community has a local store and a post office a fishing ship shop and a couple of pubs
28:39which are within walking distance of this our mystery house a substantial detached home built in
28:48the 1800s on the side of the valley i've got a great period property to show anthea and keith next
28:55but as fabulous as the house is a mystery property is really all about this view
29:04our mystery house swaps the hills for a valley and offers keith and anthea a bit of a makeover
29:11opportunity so we've got a classic victorian property that really maximizes the views from
29:17every room but what i really like about this is the fact that anthea and keith could put their own
29:23stump on it by just doing a little bit of work
29:29it's not in the malvern hills but it is in another of the uk's most ancient and cherished landscapes
29:37so for our mystery house i really felt that so far on the search we've supersized the house definitely
29:44in the properties i've shown you certainly supersize the garden with that last property
29:48but i thought it was time to supersize the view certainly done that yeah can't beat that
29:58the house sits on a plot of around three quarters of an acre with the garden divided into several
30:04different levels interesting proposition um not quite sure at the moment the altitude
30:13and the garden on the slope should we go and explore inside yes please the land we'll come
30:18back out and just explore a little more out here as well okay brilliant thank you very much
30:25the conservatory at the side of the house leads into the main entrance hall
30:30to the rear lies an office and music room and overlooking the front of the property sits the kitchen
30:35and two receptions the slightly larger of the two is used as a dining room with the neighboring reception
30:42in use as a sitting room very nice little snug room and the stone it's very sweet
30:51i think i'd want to make the windows a bit bigger or something because that just is to die for
30:56out there
30:56you don't feel you're getting more of it my natural inclination would be to sort of open things up a
31:03bit
31:05the thought had also crossed my mind subject to the relevant planning consents a beautiful open
31:11plan kitchen living dining room that capitalizes on those views could be created here by knocking
31:17together the two receptions and the current kitchen
31:24are you open to that
31:28yes on the price i think yes that's the big question and because i don't think others want to
31:36be particularly hands-on at our age so we'd need to have the budget to throw the money at someone
31:40else to do the work for us okay i get that yeah
31:46upstairs a modern family bathroom serves three double bedrooms this one is the largest
31:54oh this is a nice room gosh those stone walls look at that
31:59they are incredible the view looks even better from this it does doesn't it yeah no it's lovely
32:07but the view and the idyllic setting don't seem quite enough to charm them all i can think about
32:14is the amount of money we want to spend to make it our sort of style here and uh it's
32:21all a bit overwhelming
32:25there's another double next door and a cosier double next to that but keith and anthea's hearts
32:31well they're somewhere else we were definitely spoiled by the previous house so this leaves us
32:39you know a little bit too much to do really yeah i mean in a way i'm secretly a little
32:44bit relieved
32:46that we haven't been uh shown another property that would had really won our hearts exactly the same
32:56however i still want to know what they'd value this property at but before we do that there's one
33:01last piece of information they should know
33:07on the back of the house you've got a whole array of solar panels okay the current owners live without
33:13any energy costs well because of the solar that's amazing yeah it's a big plus for the property
33:19isn't it definitely huge plus huge plus well well the one thing we haven't covered on the house yet
33:24is what it's on the market for so would you like to have a guess your budget is five hundred
33:30and twenty
33:31thousand pounds um i'm going to have a stab at four nine five i think okay four hundred ninety five
33:38thousand five five ten five hundred and ten thousand okay okay well keith you are almost bang on
33:44actually it's on for fifty pounds under half a million okay it's lovely yes
33:53this detached victorian home offers a kitchen and two receptions that overlook the spectacular
33:58scenery of the forest of dean in addition to a study and music room there are three bedrooms upstairs
34:05it sits on a plot of three quarters of an acre and comes with a price tag of four hundred
34:10and ninety
34:11nine thousand nine hundred and fifty pounds it's a lovely prospect but i think probably not for us
34:21i don't think we're brave enough to undertake the work that we would want to do to make our mark
34:27on it
34:28i wonder if it's about you being brave enough for if it's more about the fact that your heart has
34:33been
34:33left in that other home or a little piece of it yeah very large yeah yeah has definitely been
34:40definitely spot with that and unfortunately even with this amazing vista i don't think we've got
34:47the heart for that sort of projects actually at our age well let's bid that farewell and let's head
34:52off on our way okay bye
35:04if you're dreaming of escaping to the country and looking to spot the nine to five for something
35:09new and fulfilling but you need a bit of inspiration look no further than sarah and her family who nine
35:16years ago followed their passion and made their move here to the malvern hills
35:25hanny and i were living in south london with the children hanny was working in the city and he was
35:31awake and gone to work before the children were up and was getting back just after the children
35:35had gone to bed i was working part-time and looking after the kids and it just kind of felt
35:41like we
35:41were two people living separate lives but in the same house and we decided something had to change that
35:47we wanted to be doing something together again that thing it turned out was brewing sarah quit teaching
35:56and a husband gave up his career as a financial executive they sold their three-bed semi bought
36:03this five-bed detached family home with just over an acre of land and began brand new careers as brewers
36:13it's been brilliant bringing the children up here out in the countryside you enjoy living in the
36:17country growing up here yeah we have a big garden to play rugby
36:20this yeah what do you like about it i like at school um um when um i get to have
36:29forest school
36:32i think we all love it
36:38if there ever was a family that followed their passion doing what they love
36:42which others can enjoy too then it's sarah's family and i can't wait to meet her
36:50hey sarah hi hi nice to meet you talk about living the country life the most amazing vegetable plot
36:58chickens yeah and the views from this place are incredible why did you ever move
37:04in a serendipitous moment early on in their brewing career sarah stumbled across a hop farm just five
37:17minutes from their new home owned by a farmer with a keen interest in running an on-site brewery
37:23his eyes lit up and they kind of said oh well we always thought what a brilliant idea it would
37:27be to
37:28have a brewery here on the farm brilliant so they showed us their old chicken shed and that's where we
37:33moved in amazingly the hop shed is the only brewery in the uk actually located on a hop farm which
37:42makes
37:42for a seriously sustainable beer most brewers in this country import hops from america or new zealand
37:52is now got very fashionable hops but we've always only used locally grown hops so the fact we're lucky
37:59the farm here they grow quite a lot of varieties of hops but there's other local farms that grow
38:03different varieties so we buy for we buy their hops as well but it's all locally grown and do you
38:08have
38:08a cut-off that you won't go beyond for it's about it's only about 10 15 miles from the brewery
38:14they're
38:14all grown and then when we've finished brewing all the grain and the yeast goes off to the local pig
38:19farmer who's two miles down the road so that all gets reused we've got a list of people who want
38:25the
38:25hops spent hops they're brilliant for the garden for mulch or for turning into compost it's quite
38:30a niche thing to have done to have come out here nobody brewery fine line fine line between bravery
38:37and stupidity yeah yeah the brewery runs five days a week with the tap room open on friday afternoons and
38:47saturdays so that locals from the surrounding villages and towns can come and enjoy local award-winning beers
38:56is this where i get to retest my barmaid skills to see if i can remember what to do
39:01okay what is this one which one are we trying so this is this is a pale ale it's uh
39:06four percent
39:07it's a nice easy drink it's perfect for this kind of weather so this one is brewed with three
39:10new local hop varieties so it gives a lovely tropical fruity kind of easy drinking pint
39:16all right let's forget how's that look that's not would you give me a job maybe not quite a full
39:21measure but you know that's fine well you know just thinking about the profits sarah thinking about your
39:26profits let's give it a go
39:32that's really good can you just leave me here with a couple of these please wow it's really fresh and
39:38zingy
39:41nine years on and sarah and her husband's brewery on a hop farm in worcestershire is the result of a
39:47shared dream a heck of a lot of hard work and a whole lot of love
39:57but it's time to catch up with our couple and find out where their thoughts lie
40:01and i don't think i'm going out on a limb if i say that they have a firm favorite
40:12what a spot to sit down and catch our breath chat about the last couple of days i guess the
40:19question
40:19that remains is have we found a potential home and a community for you to throw yourselves into
40:27and really get involved in have we managed to do that i think so yeah definitely we both yes yes
40:33obviously it was that's number two yes really was that house for us it just felt very homely and it
40:40was a nice feeling sort of a warm feeling almost wrapped you up you know i could just see us
40:44there
40:44and i said the most important area for us really was the kitchen diner that was the place that we
40:49were
40:49most interested in that just knocked us off our feet i suppose you know the two parts to the house
40:55really you know if you've got guests come and they would have an area to themselves yes it was a
40:59little over budget so i think our next step is probably to have a conversation with the state
41:05agents and just find out what a real figure might be and i envisage an overnight stay up here early
41:14next week really okay so i want to come back and just go for a drink in the local pub
41:20and just find my
41:22feet in the yeah in the community in the surrounding area do you think there's a potential offer on
41:27that property on the cards keith yes definitely definitely um without doubt i think we want to
41:35offer a sense we want to make a sensible offer so i think we we need to know roughly what
41:39the
41:39expectations are and then need to work out if we can match them well we wish you all the best
41:44thank you
41:45and i can absolutely see you in your new life down in this area um so let us know let
41:51us know when
41:52you become local residents thank you and thank you no thank you very much to you and all the team
41:57amazing the first person to bring me back for a gin and tonic oh i've already found my spot in
42:01that
42:08garden anthe and keith have been a great couple to house hunt with over the last few days because of
42:13their positive attitude to life and the excitement that they've got about upsizing to the countryside
42:19i'm so happy that we have finally managed to find them a house that they both genuinely love
42:25i know they are ready to make this move and we wish them all the best with their new life
42:31here
42:31in this gorgeous part of the uk join me next time on escape to the country
42:38keith and anthea returned to our second property and although their initial offers were declined
42:45they upped their budget and i'm thrilled to say settled on a price that suited everyone
42:49we wish them every happiness in their new home in the worcestershire countryside
42:55if you would like to escape to the country in england northern ireland scotland or wales
43:01and need our help why not apply online at bbc.co.uk forward slash take part
43:27so
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