The Archers Book of Farming and the Countryside

Have you ever wondered, as The Archers signature tune fades away, just what slurry is — and why Phil stores it in a lagoon? Or whether Brian Aldridge really is a millionaire? Or how they grow potatoes at Bridge Farm without fertilisers? Do you know what happens to the crop which splashes Ambridge with swathes of bright yellow each May — or how big Home Farm’s largest field is? Do you understand why Brian burns more of his straw than Phil, what happens when Neil Carter’s sows ‘bunch’ or how Sammy copes with a broken­ mouthed ewe?

These and a myriad other questions are answered in The Archers Book of Farming and the Countryside, a delightful and
informative month-by-month wander around the farms and fields of Ambridge. Maps of the holdings and drawings of the steadings take you, for the first time, right to the heart of the Ambridge countryside; so that when Jill takes a cup of tea to Phil while he’s feeding Freda in the pigsty you can follow hard on her heels. Simple accounts and balance sheets show how well the farmers are doing, so that when Brian complains that his farm is losing money you can draw your own conclusions.

The book provides a fascinating background to the farming and rural life of the world’s longest-running radio drama, and is a must for all Archers fans.