As Gardeners’ Question Time reaches its 70th anniversary, its chair Eric Robson discusses his admiration for Alfred Wainwright and his passion for the Lake District fells.
When you live in the most spectacular part of the Lake District, weekly commutes to distant corners of Britain to discuss pest-control and potting compost could be rather burdensome.
But the perks of chairing Gardeners’ Question Time far outweigh the time consuming travel, says Eric Robson. “Having the most expert horticultural panel in the country sitting on my left hand side means I get marvellous oneon-one advice about my fruit trees,” says the veteran broadcaster, who has planted three orchards full of apple, quince and damson trees on his farm in the Wasdale valley. “Ribston Pippin really shouldn’t do well for us because we’re so far north, but I grow it up against a sheltered southwest-facing wall and it crops really well.”
To close one’s eyes and hear Eric enthusing about heritage fruit trees is to be transported instantly to Sunday afternoon. His sing-song vowels and northern wit are as much a part of the weekend as country walks and Yorkshire puddings; they’ve been reassuring green-fingered Radio 4 listeners for 23 years. “I see my job as stopping the panel straying into the more impenetrable thickets of horticultural Latin,” he says. And if they do? “That’s where the bad jokes come in.”
Even if you’re not a gardener, you will know Eric Robson’s voice. Now 70, he began his career at Border Television in Carlisle, and has been a current a airs reporter and presenter on television and radio for more than four decades. The face of state occasions, such as Trooping the Colour and Remembrance Sunday, he was on air during both the wedding of Diana, Princess of Wales and her funeral. He is also the broadcaster who persuaded the notoriously shy fell walker Alfred Wainwright to accompany him on camera for four series of walking programmes.
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av BBC Countryfile Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Guilt-Free Meat? - Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians
Should the world stop eating meat to tackle the climate crisis? Chris Baraniuk meets an experimental farmer who says we don't all have to become vegetarians. Livestock farming around the world is facing scrutiny because of its greenhouse gas emissions. Globally, the sector contributes somewhere between 11.1% and 19.6% of total emissions. Meat production is roughly twice as bad as the production of plant-based food, according to some analyses. And beef is the worst of all. Study after study has suggested that, in order to curtail the devastating effects of climate change, we ought to shift to a diet containing less meat - or even go vegetarian or vegan.
Discover Cider Country - Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks
Explore mellow golden countryside, pedalling between medieval villages, historic inns and fruitful orchards, on a delightful Herefordshire Cider Circuit adventure with Julie Brominicks. I'm cycling Porter's Perfection, one of three cider circuits developed for Visit Herefordshire over the past few years. Each showcases a section of this bucolic county's loveliest villages, pubs, orchards and cidermakers via lanes suited to bicycles - e-bikes for hill-averse cyclists like me. The idea is to allow you to appreciate the sights, sounds and smells of cider country while traversing roads never meant for modern cars. If you have dodgy knees, or are keen to indulge in the local adult apple juice as you go (remember, it's illegal to cycle while under the influence), Visit Herefordshire also promotes cider bus routes.
TOP 10 WILD AUTUMN FOODS
Make the most of seasonal abundance with foraging tips and recipe ideas from wild food expert Liz Knight
The taste of England
Amid pastures farmed by her family for more than four centuries, Mary Quicke is reviving forgotten dairy traditions to produce delicious Devon cheeses
How to eat 30 plants a week
As science proves the many health-boosting benefits of eating at least 30 different plants each week, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall shares recipes to help you meet the magic target
RARE RAFT SPIDER MAKES A COMEBACK
Thanks to dedicated conservation work, this impressive but vulnerable arachnid is resurgent in East Anglia
SPECTACULAR STONEHENGE FINDS
Following the latest astonishing revelation about the Stonehenge Altar Stone's Scottish origins, Dixe Wills looks at recent discoveries that have changed the way we view this impressive and enigmatic Neolithic monument
GALLOWAY NATIONAL PARK DEBATE
Would this protected status bring welcome recognition and attention - or overcrowding and problems for farmers?
Farmers are valued, so why do they feel we don't care?
For farmers out in their fields in all seasons, worried about the future as dramatic levels of rainfall blamed on climate change damage their crops, inflation and uncertainty push up their costs and what they see as unfair imports threaten their livelihoods, here's a spot of unexpectedly good news: the rest of us think you are doing a good job.
Pumpkin patches
Find the perfect jack-o'-lantern for Halloween at a pick-your-own pumpkin patch. Some are simple affairs in tranquil countryside; others offer activities ranging from ghost trains to spooky mazes.