Main content
Sorry, this episode is not currently available

East Midlands

Matt Baker takes to the Trent in a kayak and finds out about the effort to clean up the river. In Rutland, Helen Skelton is an apprentice in a windmill.

Countryfile is in the east Midlands to find out about the region's rural past and the revival of the River Trent. Matt Baker takes to the Trent in a kayak and meets Alan Henshaw from the environment agency who tells him about the effort to clean up the river. Matt sees for himself the improvements in water quality and habitat, before taking a trip to Calverton Fish Farm in Nottinghamshire. Here, Alan and his team teach stocked fish how to be 'wild' in special tanks that force the fish to swim against an artificial current for food.

Helen Skelton is in Rutland to meet master miller Nigel Moon. Nigel takes her on as apprentice for the day in his traditional windmill, one of the last in the region. Helen then heads over the border to Leicestershire where farmer Alan Hewson is reviving a much-loved, but long-gone, local cheese, Colwick - a favourite of agricultural workers in the past. Alan puts its prize-winning taste down to the rare breed red poll cattle, a once common breed in the region.

Adam Henson is at the biggest agricultural show in the south west - The Royal Bath and West. And John Craven launches 2016's photographic competition, with its theme From Dawn till Dusk. Joining John on the judging team are Dragons' Den's Deborah Meaden, comedian Rhona Cameron and wildlife cameraman Simon King. Matt Baker also reveals the total raised by sales of 2015's calendar.

Tom Heap discovers how a global health crisis is impacting the battle against Bovine TB.

56 minutes

From Dawn Till Dusk

From Dawn Till Dusk

John Craven is joined by Deborah Meaden from the Â鶹¹ÙÍøÊ×Ò³Èë¿Ú’s Dragon’s Den, comedian Rhona Cameron and wildlife cameraman Simon King, for the  launch of this year’s Countryfile Photographic Competition. The theme for the 2016 competition is ‘From Dawn Till Dusk’ and John and the others will be judging your entries later in the year. But, to get you in the mood, the four judges are in Somerset visiting Simon King’s nature reserve, where there’s a range of habitats and wildlife to be seen.  Simon’s experience as a wildlife cameraman comes in handy as he shows the others some handy hints and tips, but capturing the landscape and its wildlife `From Dawn Till Dusk’ is quite a challenge. 

Whissendine Windmill

Whissendine Windmill

Gentle, undulating land and beautiful open fields. Rutland isn’t just home to wonderful countryside; it’s a landscape perfect for windmills. Helen Skelton meets Nigel Moon, one of the last traditional corn millers in the UK. As she dons her coat to lend Nigel a hand, she discovers that it’s not just snow that turns a place white. Dusted with flour, the mill is working just as it would have done in the 18th century. Helen learns how Nigel harnesses the power of wind in the sails and through pulleys and cogs, how that power is used to drive stones that work the corn into fine organic flour. 

River Trent – back from the brink

River Trent – back from the brink
Matt Baker is exploring the mighty River Trent as it threads its way through the East Midlands. Abundant with wildlife and a mecca for people alike, he visits one of the river’s most famous spawning grounds. Here he meets Alan Henshaw, local fisherman and coarse fish expert at the Environment Agency, who remembers a time when the river was far less bountiful. Pollution from industry and expanding populations along its length had choked much of the life from the river, but with a lot of hard work and a little time however, the river has revived and life has slowly but surely returned.   


Cheese revival

Cheese revival

Once famous for its rich grassland and milk production, the East Midlands have a long history producing an item at the heart of every farm workers lunchbox: cheese.  Helen meets local farmers Alan and Jane Henshaw who are helping some of the regions traditional cheeses make a comeback. The milk from their herd of Red Poll cattle is perfect for making one such cheese, Colwick, a soft white cheese that would have been a staple in the area until its decline in the 20th century. Helen lends a hand in the dairy before being rewarded with a banquet of cheese served up the traditional way. 

Badger vaccinations

Badger vaccinations

Tom Heap investigates how a global human health crisis is affecting efforts to eradicate Tuberculosis in cattle. One way to help protect cows from TB is to vaccinate badgers, to stop them passing the disease on. But one dose for a badger can protect 20 children – so with a  worldwide shortage of the human vaccine, all badger vaccinations are on hold. Tom looks at the implications in Wales – where vaccinating badgers is a key part of the fight against bovine TB.

Teaching fish to be wild!

Teaching fish to be wild!

Just on the outskirt of Nottingham, Matt is exploring the nerve centre of coarse fish breeding. Here at Calverton, Alan Henshaw and his dedicated team are rearing fish with the wits to make it in the wild. As Matt discovers, this means more than simply feeding, growing and returning them to a river. In special training ponds the fish are made to swim against a strong current in order to develop the red muscle they need to survive in naturally flowing streams. They are also exposed to natural predators like kingfishers and cormorants so they develop the instincts to survive.

The Royal Bath and West Show

The Royal Bath and West Show

This week Adam Henson is visiting the Royal Bath and West Show to check out some of the best that farming has to offer in agriculture, livestock, food & drink. He meets up with 5 year-old Arthur, who is preparing to show some of his Poll Dorset sheep and in true West Country style, he learns what makes an award-winning cheese and how to judge a good cider from a bad cider.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Matt Baker
Presenter Helen Skelton
Presenter Adam Henson
Presenter John Craven
Presenter Tom Heap
Participant Alan Henshaw
Participant Nigel Moon
Judge Deborah Meaden
Judge Rhona Cameron
Judge Simon King
Executive Producer William Lyons
Series Producer Joanna Brame

Broadcasts