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From Shetland to the Scilly Isles, Open Country travels the UK in search of the stories, the people and the wildlife that make our countryside such a vibrant place. Each week we visit a new area to hear how local people are growing the crops, protecting the environment, maintaining the traditions and cooking the food that makes their corner of rural Britain unique.
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| Herefordshire fields | |
Sarah Mukherjee sets off in search of suitable drinks for the festive season and, in Herefordshire, she finds a tipple for everyone.
Her search begins at Westons Cidermill near Ledbury. In 1878 Henry Weston moved to a farm at The Bounds in Much Marcle and began producing cider and perry from the fruit grown in his own orchards. She visits one of these old orchards, where different varieties of apples and pears are dotted around, and compares them to the modern orchards of single varieties in close-packed rows. It turns out that the old adage, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, now also applies to a drop of cider. A half pint of cider delivers the same amount of antioxidants as a glass of red wine. Sarah visits the mill itself where the huge vats where the cider is matured are given wonderful names like Derby and Joan, and Ironclad.
Sarah visits the tiny back-yard vines of Coddington Wines. Here Anne and Dennis Savage make just 4,000 bottles of wine a year on their little vineyard. Until recently winemaking took place off-site, but in the last few years Anne and Dennis have built a small winery so they now have total control over the wines. The climate is suitable for white wines (it's very similar to German wine-growing areas) and Bacchus has proved a good grape for them. They grow grapes for a sparkling wine too, though this is actually made into wine at a bigger winery nearby.
At Marden, near Hereford, Sarah meets Raymond Nash, who produces Berrington Spring Water. Raymond had been in farming for years and had been looking for a diversification when the spring came up for sale. The source is just a bubbling spring in the middle of a sheep field half a mile from the farm, where a little bottling line turns it into something you might find in a hotel or restaurant. Raymond is a convert to drinking more water and says he's not surprised that drinking the bottled variety has changed from being a fashion to a staple. The flavour of water depends on the local geology: the water is filtered through sandstone and is not acidic and low in sodium.
Sarah travels to the Wye Valley Brewery at Stoke Lacy to meet Vernon Amor, whose father started the business in 1985 and it moved to its present address, an old cider mill, 18 months later. They brew cask beers using only traditional methods and use mainly locally grown hops wherever possible. Production of cask ales takes 10-12 days depending on the strength of the beer and when bottled takes approximately one month to come to condition. A brewer's barrel holds 36 gallons, they produce 120 a week. Sarah tries some of their special Christmas ales, including something called Santa's Descent.
At Aconbury Sprouts Sarah meets Jim Hardy and Ruth Watkins, who produce juiced wheatgrass. Jim has been growing sprouted beans of various sorts for around 17 years. He uses Spelt wheat, a primitive wheat excellent for breadmaking. It takes two weeks for the sprouts to grow to around six inches high, when they're put through a special juicer. Wheatgrass juice has been considered to be a tonic and healing agent for over 60 years. It's a rich source of chlorophyll, with a high level of anti-oxidants. The juice is vivid emerald green with a complex and powerful flavour: hints of vanilla, liquorice root, raw peas and aniseed can be detected in it. Its strong flavour means it's probably best mixed with other juices.
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