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Hampton Court

Ellie Harrison and Sean Fletcher explore the grounds and surrounds of Hampton Court Palace, which is home to the last stable of working shire horses in London.

Ellie Harrison and Sean Fletcher explore the grounds and surrounds of Hampton Court Palace. It is home to the last stable of working shire horses in London, and Sean hears how they offer a natural alternative to modern machinery. While Sean is at the house, Ellie is in the garden, at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, revealing the finished design of the Countryfile Wildlife Garden.

Anita Rani and Adam Henson meet the next two Young Presenter finalists. Adam also hears how lupins are being used as an alternative to soya in livestock feed. Tom Heap finds out whether a US free-trade deal after Brexit would mean boom or bust for UK farmers.

55 minutes

Last on

Tue 17 Jul 2018 00:15

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:24

    Bastille

    Glory

  • 00:52

    Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

    Everybody's On The Run

Hampton Horses

Hampton Horses

Sean discovers how Hampton Court Palace is home to the last stable of working Shire horses in London.

He sees the work of ‘Operation Centaur’, a project set up to promote the use of Shire horses in the countryside, as an alternative to machinery.

Sean hears how the horses are able to work in otherwise inaccessible places such as woodland slopes. 

Despite their size, the horses can step round saplings and fallen logs, or avoid ancient anthills during bracken rolling – all with low noise disturbance, soil compaction, impact on flora and carbon footprint.

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show

Ellie is out and about at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show.

The flower show stretches over more than 30 acres of the Palace’s parkland, displaying plants from every corner of the globe.

Not only is it the largest flower show in the world - it also stands out from the rest, with its roots in environmental issues and growing your own food.

Ellie explores some of this year’s stand out gardens and meets the people behind the designs whose passion make the flower show the amazing spectacle it is.


Deal or No Deal

Deal or No Deal

When it comes to selling our Great British produce at home or abroad, the future of UK farming will hang on striking new trade deals after Brexit.

Tom looks at the prospects of a free trade agreement with the US – and why some farmers and food producers in the UK find that a hard prospect to swallow.

He visits Ford Farm cheesemakers in Dorset to see how they have successfully exported their product across the Atlantic – but also hears the worries they have about cheaper imports flooding the UK market.

Meanwhile, Tom brings together two sides of the debate – NFU president Minette Batters and Matt Kilcoyne, from think-tank The Adam Smith Institute – to see if they have any common ground.

And he hears from Washington trade expert Daniel Griswold to find out what any deal could offer the US…

Lupins

Lupins

Towering lupins, with their vibrant flowers, are always a draw to keen gardeners at the flower show but they’re now also in demand with farmers…and for entirely different reasons.

Adam finds out how lupins could be about to change both arable and livestock farming… as a replacement for soya in animal feed.

He’s visiting south Devon where Sam Walker runs a 270-acre organic mixed arable and beef farm. Sam is also currently growing lupins as part of a trial to see if they could be a feasible source of protein in feed.

For farmers like Sam, lupins provide other benefits, as useful bedding and straw and the plants’ long tap roots help make for a good seed bed for the next crop.

But could they really prove to be a lucrative alternative to soya?

Countryfile 30th Anniversary Garden

Countryfile 30th Anniversary Garden

Ellie finally gets to see designer Ann-Marie Powell’s finished Countryfile wildlife garden at the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show.

Celebrating our 30th anniversary, the garden’s tiered design includes a mixture of landscape features and wildlife habitats representing different areas of the British Isles.

Ann-Marie takes Ellie on a tour, talking her through the ideas behind the garden's design and showing some of the 12,000 plants on display, which include more than 300 different varieties.

And the garden is already home to chaffinches, red admiral butterflies, bees and damselflies.

Horsing Around

Horsing Around

Sean discovers the Shire horses stabled at Hampton Court Palace aren’t only useful for regenerating wildflower meadows and working in woodlands.

They also have an important role to play in teaching pupils from local schools some essential life lessons.

Sean spends the day with a group of youngsters learning how to build relationships and develop their teamwork and leadership skills through working with the horses.

But can they pull together to figure out how best to move these huge horses…?

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Ellie Harrison
Presenter Sean Fletcher
Presenter Anita Rani
Presenter Adam Henson
Presenter Tom Heap
Executive Producer William Lyons
Series Producer Joanna Brame

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