Victorian Farm BBC series set on the Acton Scott estate

[yamin]

making futile attempts to get pink and frothy milk out of next doors cow

Mastitis? Or has the cow been eating raspberries?

Are you not keeping up with your Hugh Fearnley Whittingshall bible? Its all beetroot now dahlings........... :roll:

 

[Penners]

But why waste your beetroot on the cows? Boiled beetroot in a white (soon-to-be-pink) sauce.... yum!

I thought HFW's beetroot and carrot ice cream looked quite promising.

 

[yamin]

I made his beetroot brownies - very nice they were too! Hey, welcome to the Martha Stewert wannabe forum guys! :lol:

 

[Penners]

I've no wish to serve a term in jail!

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Not read all the other posts (too busy making futile attempts to get pink and frothy milk out of next doors cow!!), but did want to chip in and say that whilst it doesn't surprise me at all that liberties are taken with the real truth of living the victorian life, surely this is a necessary edit to make it entertainlment. It may be frustrating to those with more expert knowledge, but you only have to look at shows like Casualty, and any deteciveshow - I mean, if they showed what it was really like in a casualty dept then it would be truly boring to watch, and likewise with real detective work. I do feel that if this program encourages people to look further into 'traditional' practices and living, then either they'll get put off and give up, or they'll discover a love of the real nuts and bolts of it like we do - surely either is acceptable? I love this series for its interesting nuggets of info but take it on face value, i.e. with a big pinch of salt and knowing its there to entertain and interest, not educate.

Casualty isn't a documentary, any more than the BBC's adaptation of "Lark Rise to rose-tinted Candleford" is. But "Victorian Farm" is supposed to be a documentary, and it does seem to be taking more liberties with the reality of the situation than it perhaps should. That "Living in the Past" Iron-Age village thing from 30 years ago was somewhat more realistic (although it ultimately said as much about the nature and social sensibilities of late-70s hippiedom as it did about ancient Britons)

 

[Penners]

Oh, come on - next thing you'll be saying is that The Archers is only pretend.

 

[yamin]

What a ridiculous notion!

 

[plumbers mate]

Probably as accurate!
It did start off as a way of getting government farming info across.

 

[mollymoo]

Awww! Aren't you all being a tad harsh?

I must admit, I happen to enjoy watching it. Some of us can only dream of living in a beautiful period property, and guess of what life back then would be like, (very hard work). After all, it's like chippy said, it's just for entertainment, and entertaining it is, for myself anyway.
Oops! Forgot my manners. Hi everyone, I'm mollymoo. It's taken me 2 weeks to read right through these forums and I'm loving it.

Regards
mm

 

[skier-hughes]

Hi and Welcome,

Two weeks, you must be a fast reader

Glad you are enjoying the show. I also enjoy it, well in parts!!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Hello Mollymoo

I'm new to this forum too and also think the threads are quite the best thing I've read in a long time. Welcome! Do you keep cows?


As for this show, some of us do not permit televisions into the house.

 

[mollymoo]

Thanks for the cheery welcome. No, I don't keep cows lol, but they're cute when they're little.

I must say, that having read through the forums and reading peoples personal experiences, I do beleave I've learnt more than any book can teach me. When I think back now to the properties that I must have completely ruined by using modern building methods, I could shoot myself. Now I know a bit better, I look most forward to my next project, whenever that may be.

Regarding the Victorian Farm; After watching last nights episode, I don't think I would make a good farmers wife. I felt physically sick when she cleaved the pigs head ready for boiling. Yuck!

 

[JoceAndChris]

I must say, that having read through the forums and reading peoples personal experiences, I do beleave I've learnt more than any book can teach me. When I think back now to the properties that I must have completely ruined by using modern building methods, I could shoot myself. Now I know a bit better, I look most forward to my next project, whenever that may be.

Regarding the Victorian Farm; After watching last nights episode, I don't think I would make a good farmers wife. I felt physically sick when she cleaved the pigs head ready for boiling. Yuck!

It only seems inconceivable because the whole process is so sanitised for us, I'm sure that if you needed to you would make an excellent farmer's wife. I think it's time we started doing more for ourselves. I am currently trying to get my head round keeping pigs/goats/ chickens which would involve slaughtering them at some point. I think it's a pity that I am even in this sqeamish dilemna; my mother's generation thought nothing of it and many a lively hour was spent chasing chickens round for the pot.

And as regards the forum, yes, I can't believe what I've learnt in 2 weeks and how close I came to handing over 2 grand for a dpc which would necessitate removing the plaster all over! There should be a law that people buying old houses should familiarise themselves with the basics. So many horrors are committed in ignorance and it is amazing to have this resource and just lessen the ignorance a bit!

Happy learning!

 

[worms]

With regard to Victorian Farm, some of the agricultural content is interesting and some frustrating, but for me the biggest question is whether a Victorian farm of this size and status would be run by just the farmer, his wife and one general labourer. My guess is that there would be at least one maid, possibly another as a dairy maid, and then at least a stockman and a horseman for the outside work and probably one or two general workers. Not to mention the travelling/seasonal/casual labour that would have been available.

On the question of the Archers, it should be noted that this still does include agricultural advice, although it is possibly better disguised than it might have once been. Ruth's current project on splitting the fields into smaller paddocks is a case in point. We have had the various bits of advice on size, layout, provision of water etc and I am guessing we will get more on grazing management and the rotation of cattle and sheep round the paddocks as spring comes in.

 

[Schoolmarm]

What size and status? I thought they said it was 15 acres originally which is well below the norm of 40 acres for a rented farm. Also they have only given them 3 acres for the project.

That is smaller than one of my hay meadows.

Joce you wouldn't be slaughtering pigs or goats unless you were highly capable.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Joce you wouldn't be slaughtering pigs or goats unless you were highly capable.

So you can call in an executioner? Or you drive them to an abbattoir?

Sorry, this is very off topic and clearly I would need to do much deeper research before embarking on such a thing. Those hay meadows sound wonderful! I only have a little space as the fields around me are now someone else's, but the idea of raising and killing my own meat is ethical to my mind and I could have a few animals.

 

[yamin]

My understanding is that you drive them to the abbatoir yourself (by which I mean petrol drive, not a stick and a flock through the streets of London!). Don't know where you are, but watching Rick Stein Food Heroes it seems that there are quite a few small, v ethical abbatoirs round the country which would carry out the job to a high standard and fit in with your principles.

 

[mollymoo]

Well, that slaughtering thing has definetly put me off becoming self sufficient. Saying that, I did pluck a chicken once after my Dad rung it's neck of course. I was 6 yrs old at the time Couldn't do it now though.

 

[Flyfisher]

Before the last foot-and-mount outbreak there used to be mobile slaughtermen who would come to your farm/smallholding and do the deed, which was a very humane arrangement for the animals (familiar surroundings, no stress of travel etc). I recall that regulations then changed, allegedly to stop farm to farm infection by travelling slaughtermen - but it was, and remains, a contentious subject. These days, local abbatoirs are few and far between because various regulations work against small operations, hence the predominance of fewer, but factory-scale, abbatoirs often necessitating journeys of hundreds of miles - hardly stress-free for the animals in question.

I'm not sure about the legality of killing your own animals for personal consumption but I wouldn't be surprised if it's illegal without loads of paperwork, inspections, licences etc. Even if you want to keep one lamb or pig, I'm pretty sure it needs to be formally registered with DEFRA (Dept for the Elimination of Farming and Rural Affairs), with a "passport" and ear tags (which can cost up to £10 per pair). All of which seems to conspire against the smallholder who wants something free-range and organic for the freezer.

I appreciate some levels of regulation are probably necessary but the current situation does seem to make the entry-level rather high for the smallholder - something those Victorian farmers wouldn't have had to put up with!

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Joce you wouldn't be slaughtering pigs or goats unless you were highly capable.

So you can call in an executioner? Or you drive them to an abbattoir?

Sorry, this is very off topic and clearly I would need to do much deeper research before embarking on such a thing. Those hay meadows sound wonderful! I only have a little space as the fields around me are now someone else's, but the idea of raising and killing my own meat is ethical to my mind and I could have a few animals.

And you've got an abbatoir just down the hill (it's near the station), so not too long and stressful a trip. What are you waiting for? Home made Lincolnshire sausages when I come to visit, please.