One of the best programmes on food ever. Should be compulsory viewing for clueless urbanites. Whilst I've always enjoyed Jimmy's Farm, I wasn't expecting much from this. I was completely wrong. The opening espisode was a masterpiece.

There's always been a suspicion that Jimmy got his TV series due to his friendship with Jamie Oliver. I think that's unfair as it's been good tv, he is photogenic like his partner and he clearly cares about what he is doing. But Jimmy's Farm has always been comfy TV like an old pair of slippers. Never exactly challenging but always worth a look.

I decided to give Farming Heroes one quick look and was hooked within minutes. Jimmy shows all of the amazing industrialised farming in the East of the UK and compares it to his small-holding. But this is not done in a disapproving way, he explains the why's and how's of everything.

I was amazed and impressed by some of the systems used. He showed how one man with a combine harvester can now do in one day what it could have taken 15 men a week to do in the 1930's. The celery company's mobile factory moving across a giant field is an image I will never forget. The use of heated water and carbon dioxide from the British Sugar factory in an enormous greenhouse blew my mind. The mass-collection of peas by the co-op proved that the Birdseye ad was true! So many massive-scale operations to feed the country.

The commitment of these farmers to scale and quality was critical to the success of the show.

The second episode this week was more traditional in the style of  Rick Stein. It was all about innovative farming in Wales. Much smaller scale stuff but with a really wide definition of farming which made watching it worthwhile. Dairy farmers who farm rubbish and generate recycled materials and tons of compost. Chernobyl-affected farmers who farm wind power. A man breeding supersheep through deep analysis of everything including their pooh.

If he keeps this up, it could be one of the most important programmes on farming and food that has ever been made by the BBC. The fact that I couldn't find a landing page for it on the BBC web-site is a total disgrace and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Read Original Review