Clarkson's Farm 3

[Passenger]

I did this myself P at a local farm, wouldn't say my early teens, more like 15-16. Shocking the first time the travelling butcher bangs the pig between the eyes with a lump hammer then slits its throat. I'd forgotten the leg pumping bit you mention, brings it all back. We could only kill one pig a day, the others knew what was up for the rest of the day and were unapproachable.
The sheep were different, with them being far less intelligent you could butcher a few of them in a day, the kill method was quite different but the butchering afterwards took a similar amount of time.
It taught me that when I eat meat I know where it comes from, and that if needed I can do the necessary myself.

My Mum´s side used to keep a pig at home until the day for the slaughter man, then they´d all gather to watch, then turn it into ham, bacon, sausages etc. As you note R Certainly helps to bring an understanding where- how, our meat comes from.

[number2]

Watched the first 2 episodes...don't like it, it's inauthentic imho, I don't care for Clarkson so may be a tad biased, but on a real farm you wouldn't make/get away with the stupid but TV entertaining mistakes see busting that wall with the automated fruit picking machine he'd been loaned, and v. probably damaged the machine too the bell... and charging 3.60 for a jar of jam containing only 50 percent fruit, if I heard correctly,...strewth.

Nice to hear that I'm not alone, I gave up on Clarkson before they put "Top gear" to bed, I just don't get his popularity - he's just an opinionated old fat bloke, twas the same with Top Gear he always had to be the center of attention. Just my opinion which is of course worthless, but hey.

[walkerwek1958]

My Mum´s side used to keep a pig at home until the day for the slaughter man, then they´d all gather to watch, then turn it into ham, bacon, sausages etc. As you note R Certainly helps to bring an understanding where- how, our meat comes from.

My dad was in the navy during WW2, after demob in 1946 aged 23 him and a friend decided to keep a pig in the back garden, along with geese and hens. Meat was rationed so clearly it made sense. After fattening the pig up it went to slaughter, suffice to say dad and his mate did OK out of the deal.......I never learned the details! Flushed with the success of the venture they acquired a second pig and things didn`t go so well, my dad's version of events differed from my uncle's, both are long dead so I don`t know where the truth lies, according to dad the neighbours got jealous and reported him to the sanitary inspector who made him get rid of the pig without delay. My uncle claims the pig was the runt of a litter and wasn`t in good health, he claims dad got fooled into buying a wrong 'un, but either way piggy had to go prematurely and financial loss was incurred.

That was the end of dad's pig-farming venture. Different times, different values, if you wanted meat on your plate it didn`t pay to be squeamish.

[Passenger]

My dad was in the navy during WW2, after demob in 1946 aged 23 him and a friend decided to keep a pig in the back garden, along with geese and hens. Meat was rationed so clearly it made sense. After fattening the pig up it went to slaughter, suffice to say dad and his mate did OK out of the deal.......I never learned the details! Flushed with the success of the venture they acquired a second pig and things didn`t go so well, my dad's version of events differed from my uncle's, both are long dead so I don`t know where the truth lies, according to dad the neighbours got jealous and reported him to the sanitary inspector who made him get rid of the pig without delay. My uncle claims the pig was the runt of a litter and wasn`t in good health, he claims dad got fooled into buying a wrong 'un, but either way piggy had to go prematurely and financial loss was incurred.

That was the end of dad's pig-farming venture. Different times, different values, if you wanted meat on your plate it didn`t pay to be squeamish.

Our house came with a pigsty and a brick built shelter for them out the back. Dad used the wooden run for composting until rats from the dike started turning up, so then we dismantled it...the brick built shelter we stacked up and stored logs in, I can still remember the curing wood smell which built up powerfully within. My Father and Uncle would fell trees on a distant relatives land and then we'd process it at home, bless them they'd let me have a tiny ax and 'help', that began I guess when I was about 6 or 7!!! Different times.

Dad and Uncle rented a piece of land from the council and we tried potato's for a season or 2...I was about 11, 12 and got involved with all the stages, planting, weeding, harvesting, sold them to the local chippies among others, great fun and pocket money.

[thieuster]

Ep.3 now. I need that remotely controlled mulcher for my forest!