REAPING the rewards

HELEN SKELTON and JULES HUDSON on why harvest season is a special time of year

- VICTORIA WILSON

HARVEST ON THE FARM 

TUE-FRI, 8 PM, CHANNEL 5 FACTUAL

They say you reap what you sow, and Helen Skelton and Jules Hudson are inviting Channel 5 viewers to join them at Barleylands Farm Park in Essex to enjoy the fruits of farmers’ year-round labour this week in Harvest on the Farm.

‘The harvest is the metronome of the farming year,’ says Jules, 53, as he and Helen, 40, join TV Times for an exclusive interview.

‘The harvest isn’t just restricted to summer; throughout the seasons, different crops are collected at different times, so farmers have to keep their eye on the ball for 12 months as well as plan for the next year or two. There’s a huge investment involved in keeping Britain farming and keeping food on our tables – and that’s what we’ll be exploring in this series.’

Here, the pair talk us through the treats ahead in the four-parter…

A NEW LOCATION 

While Jules, Helen and the team are usually based at Cannon Hall Farm in Yorkshire, Harvest on the Farm will be coming from a brand-new home, Barleylands Farm Park in Billericay, Essex.

'I grew up in Billericay, a part of the country that's perhaps more known for its cereal farming and combine harvesters that you probably see less of in Yorkshire,' says Jules. 'It's a thriving farm and an interesting place to draw together the story of the harvest this year.'