February 2010 Archives

Rhubarb may bring back bad memories of tasteless, stringy school canteen crumbles - but this once-humble veg has had a makeover. It's now on a par with champagne.

The European Commission has awarded rhubarb grown in an area of Yorkshire 'Protected Designation of Origin' status after years of petitioning.

This exclusive label means the veg grown by the 12 firms in this part of the world is now legally protected, preventing anyone else even giving the impression their products are grown in that area or that way.

It's a distinction only given to a select few other British products such as Melton Mowbray pork pies, Swaledale cheese, Cornish pasties and Newcastle Brown Ale (abroad, it's afforded to champagne and Parma ham).

That nice Michael Morpurgo is a busy man.

The one-time Children's Laureate, poet and founder of the charity, Farms For City Children, has got a new book out, It's a Dog's Life.

This one, a picture book with illustrations by Patrick Benson, charts a day in the life of sheepdog, Russ (left).

Published by Egmont, it's priced at £10.99 and would suit kids from three or four upwards.

Incidentally, the play based on Morpurgo's book, War Horse, is now on in London and is getting fantastic reviews. It's definitely on my 'to-see' list for early 2010.

There again, so is Enron at the Noel Coward Theatre and The Real Van Gogh exhibition at the Royal Academy and I never seem to find time to get to either of them...  

Remember the Morpeth bull?

Well if you liked him, you can now have one in your home. It's a smaller version, obviously - these measure 50 x 20 x 40cms and will set you back £2500 in resin or £6900 in bronze.

Sculptor Judy Boyt, who created the original work of art in a Wiltshire studio, has called this interpretation 'Bull and his Balls', a nod not just to the three spherical objects on the plinth, but also to one of the large version's most striking anatomical features...

Haven't had any readers' cute pet photos for a while, so couldn't resist this kitten. Thanks to Leigh Powell for sending it in. And remember Digger, the ineffably sweet dog owned by Julie Addyman? Well there's a picture below of him doing what he does best and what saw him acquire his name: at the controls of a digger.

When a colleague claimed earlier that they had a picture of Julia Bradbury dressed as a fairy with walking boots on, I was interested. Very interested. For purely professional reasons, you understand.

It turned out not to be a hoax. The TV presenter (she fronted the wonderful Wainwright Walks) was dressed in the fairy costume over the weekend to launch National Dairy Week.

And I couldn't let a picture like this pass without giving you the chance to come up with a witty line or two - so it's also the subject of this month's FW caption competition, which you can enter here.  

Just had a call from my favourite dancer (OK, I only know one so he would be, but he's a smashing bloke) Alastair.

After appearing in the final of So You Think You Can Dance, the farmer's son rang to update me about his plans.

He reckons the show could be a great launchpad onto other careers and is keen to try either musical theatre, TV presenting or even acting.

"It's been the most incredible experience - I doubt anything will ever top this," he says.

He's staying in London at the moment, but points out one thing he definitely isn't doing at the moment is dancing. "Because I had to do lots of lifts, I've got lots of aches and pains absolutely everywhere."

Here's just the excuse you've been looking for. Eating chips makes you happier.

That's the conclusion of scientists at Aston University who reckon the taste and smell can reduce anxiety and make you more cheerful.

"The consumption of chips clearly improved respondents' mood," says Dr Mike Green, who led the research. 

"Participants who were feeling down felt better after eating chips. In fact, calmness was restored within 20 minutes."

Such mood changes could be down to nutritional or psychological factors - either from the biological effects of nutritional components on brain chemistry or the pleasurable oro-stimulatory sensation, triggered by the taste."

And if that isn't enough of a reason to go out and buy fish and chips tonight, it's also currently National Chip Week. That nice Mr Chegwin is even involved. 

Bet you've never seen a lamb like this before. It's a bit like a Belted Galloway. In reverse. If you see what I mean.

Anna Simpson, one of Farmers Weekly's Sexiest Farmers, has made it into The Sun again today. This time in a bikini.

Read all the background here.

Look at this poor puss - got her head stuck in a tin can. Luckily, the story had a happy ending.

It was definitely a professional faux pas.

Lunch with John Torode in his restaurant - a man and a place world famous for steaks and what do I order? Mushroom risotto.

Aside from that little blunder, I enjoy watching the Aussie on TV so I'm very excited that the new series of MasterChef ("cooking doesn't get tougher than this") returns on Thursday with a new primetime BBC1 slot.

A farmer in America has sent his wife a uniquely agricultural Valentine's message by painting a huge heart in a field of snow - with manure.

Minnesota-based Bruce Andersland is reported to have spent a day hard at work to create the love message for his wife of 37 years, Beth.

She told the local press she thought it was cute - and that the heart would be darker, had it not been for a recent snowfall that mixed with the manure.

Sounds like something a farmer-character in a Garrison Keillor novel would do.

Following on from yesterday's photo and story on Field Day about our Britain's Sexiest Farmer competition, it's all over the national press today.

Those nice people at The Daily Telegraph have written a piece on it, as has The Daily Express. It's even been picked up by The Sun. Now that's what you call a good opening line for a story: Wey, hay, hay!

Here they are in all their glory - the two winners of Farmers Weekly's Britain's Sexiest Famer competition.

Read all about them and see video clips.

It was off, then it was on, now it looks like it's off again.

We got very excited yesterday here at Field Day when rumours started circulating that farmer's son Alastair Postlethwaite was set to make a shock return to the final of TV show So You Think You Can Dance.

We've been supporting Alastair throughout his bid to win the contest, so were disappointed when he crashed out in the semi-finals last weekend - but there was talk of reinstating him after injury forced one of the finalists to pull out.

It now seems that the show's presenters - and Alastair - felt it would be impossible for him to learn all the required routines in such a short space of time so, although he could make an appearance in tomorrow evening's show, he won't replace Robbie as a contestant with a shot at the £100,000 prize.

Shame. He's a great lad and a fantastic dancer. I particularly liked this routine:

I've posted a lot of dog-related stuff of late so here, just to redress the balance, is some cat news.

Firstly, I hear a book is going to be published this summer about the Plymouth cat which had a penchant for travelling on buses. Its working title is Caspar the Commuting Cat. Sadly, Caspar ended up getting killed on the road - but you can see BBC video footage of him here.

Secondly, a piece of research shows that cat owners are more likely to have degrees than dog owners.

I'm going to resist cracking the obvious pancake-related jokes here (I'm sure you can fill in the blanks when it comes to a story about MPs and pancakes).

It this year's Parliamentary Pancake Race which was organised by the charity Rehab and saw MPs, Lords and political correspondents race with full frying pans around a circuit near Parliament.

Sponsored by British Lion eggs, it was officially started by chef Gary Rhodes. "I had thought managing a kitchen was a challenge, but it was nothing compared with overseeing the MPs, Lords and political correspondents racing round flipping pancakes and ensuring that everything didn't end up a complete dog's dinner," he says.

One of those taking part was Lord McNally (pictured left).

The MPs won, incidentally. You could say they battered their opponents. Sorry - I couldn't resist that one.

British pig farmers are calling for pork to be named the official food of Valentine's Day after Argentina's president dubbed it 'better than Viagra'.

Ms Cristina Fernandez claimed at a recent conference that "it is much more gratifying to eat some grilled pork than to take Viagra", leading pig producers to give her a prestigious 'Banger Award'.

The Award, given in recognition of services to pork and sausages, is the highest accolade pig farmers have to offer. Previous winners include Sir Terry Wogan, Chris Evans, Phil Tufnell, and Christine Hamilton. 

BPEX chairman Stewart Houston commented: "We've sent Ms Fernandez a letter to ask her to meet with us and accept one of our prestigious Banger Awards. We have known how tasty pork is and want to thank Ms Fernandez for sharing the love."

If you want to cook up a romantic pork dish this Valentine's Day for your loved one and test Ms Fernandez theory, here are two suggested recipes:

Farming makes you live longer.

At least, it does if Stanley Lucas is anything to go on. The farmer has hit 110, becoming Europe's oldest man - and the third oldest male in the world. He attributes his longevity to lots of fresh air and country food.

"I have never smoked but enjoy the odd sherry," he says. "I think the key to a long life is lots of outdoor living and I've never travelled far."

Stanley celebrated his birthday surrounded by 70 friends and relatives at a nursing home in Bude, Cornwall - plus his seventh card from the Queen.

He left school aged 14 to help run the family farm at Great Beer, near Bude, which he later took over. In 1926 he married his wife, Ivy, and they raised a family before her death in 1963.

Stanley was called up to fight in both world wars but was turned down due to a heart condition.

The football-mad great-granddad was born on 15 January, 1900, and played bowls for Cornwall in the 1970s, and continued the sport until he was over 100.

The oldest person is Japanese woman Kama Chinen, 114. Britain's oldest is Florrie Baldwin, 113.

Today's Farmyard Favourite is Tyke.

The photo was taken by Lucy Carnaghan of Chiddingly in East Sussex and shows him sheltering from the snow with Lucy's boyfriend, Tom Holt.

"Tyke is great, we got him three years ago in the summer. Sometimes he is a little tyke, hence his name, but all in all, he is a lovely sheepdog," she says.

This made me smile. It's a Haynes Manual - for chickens.

I remember Haynes Manuals fondly from when I was a teenager. They were statutory reading for anyone who needed tips on maintaining their first car (mine was a Triumph Dolomite). Didn't realise they covered chickens, too.

It's not just cats that show ingenuity when they're after a free lunch - this is Spot helping himself to a nice barbecue sausage (Maisie is looking on, obviously hopeful of leftovers). Thanks to Tony and Lesley Hextall of Haywards Heath in West Sussex for sending me the photo.

We've had some Farmers Weekly posters made which you can print off and put up in your windows (or tractor cabs!) to show your support for Alastair Postlethwaite, farming's hopeful in the BBC dance show So You Think You Can Dance.

Download the portrait picture here, and the dancing picture here.

Today's Farmyard Favourite is Pepper, a Labrador cross Japanese Akita who will be three in June.

"She loves playing with the frisbee, but it always ends up chewed to pieces," says Mandy Woodley from Slinfold in West Sussex.

Interested in taking up metal detecting after reading about the Staffordshire hoard? If so, here's a bit more about the pursuit in The Telegraph.

Thanks to everyone who's sent me their 'farmyard favourites' photos. This adorable poll Dorset lamb (called Hazelbury Nutmeg) came from 12-year-old Amber Eden who lives near Chagford in Devon. Obviously the lamb, like the whole Eden family, is a keen supporter of Yeovil Town FC.