Farm

The Emmerdale star’s injury has had an impact on his farm which is the subject of an ITV reality series

Kelvin Fletcher has issued fans with a worrying health update in the latest instalment of his ITV reality series, Fletchers’ Family Farm.

In the episode aired today (November 23) the extent of the former Emmerdale star’s injuries sustained during a charity rugby match were laid bare.

The star had signed up to play alongside professional athletes Gareth Ellis, Mark Flanagan and Danny McGuire in aid of the David Lewis Centre, a charity supporting individuals with complex needs.

The soap star had initially been benched, but was later shown in the game being tackled. He admitted at the time: “I’m hoping, fingers crossed, I’ve not, but it feels like I’ve torn my bicep.”

READ MORE: Kelvin Fletcher’s fears over ‘pushing kids out of comfort zone’READ MORE: Kelvin Fletcher admits he’s ‘nervous’ as he makes emotional confession about kids

In the latest update given to viewers, he revealed a scan had now confirmed that he was indeed suffering from a torn bicep, rendering him unable to see through his commitments on the farm.

“I need to find a potential understudy,” he remarked on the programme as he weighed up whether he could still show his Lincoln Red cows at the Royal Cheshire Show.

Turning to wife Liz, he said: “My arm is killing me still. My arm’s really sore and I’m just thinking whether it’s best you taking them. You’ll be fine.” He added: “Let’s just see, but just on standby. How do you feel about that?”

Liz, clearly unimpressed replied: “Well not great, obviously,” as Kelvin reassured her that “despite the adversity, despite the hiccups we’re still going to go.”

Later in the episode, Liz revealed her anxiety about showing the cows, telling the cameras: “Where I thought I was just going to be having a lovely day at the Cheshire show with the kids, no pressure, no worries, I’m now told I’m going to have to step it up and potentially be the one that’s in the ring with the cow because of Kelvin’s injury.”

She continued: “I feel underprepared, more than last year. Even though he is a beautiful and calm temperament, it’s how does he respond to those other bulls. But we’re in it now, what can we do? We’re going.”

Not content with just a torn muscle, Kelvin was also seen suffering a paper cut as wife Liz joked he was a “delicate flower” before embracing him tightly.

Fletchers’ Family Farm airs on ITV1 every Sunday, with episodes available to stream via ITVX

The price of olive oil has been soaring.

Strolling through an olive grove in southern Italy, surrounded by trees, many of which were more than 200 years old, I was bathed in sunshine and calm with only the warm breeze floating through to branches to break the idyllic silence.

Frantoio Mafrica is a family-owned olive mill, which has been handed down from generation to generation. While it looks like little more than olive trees in a sunlight dappled grove to us visitors, to the owner they’re his family heritage. When he looks at them he sees his grandfather, who also worked the land.

The mill also uses donkeys to help transport the olives after picking, which is done in the traditional way by shaking the tree when they’ve 50 percent green and 50 percent black. And meeting the baby donkey who wanted nothing more than cuddles was one of the highlights of my entire trip to Calabria with Great Rail Journeys.

The family secret to processing the olives into the highest quality extra virgin olive oil was also unexpected. Rather than pressing the olives, they’re washed with water as they’re pulped to make sure every bit of Italian goodness goes into the oil. The process is all completed 24 hours after harvesting.

After trying the oil with bruschetta I can confirm it was like nothing available in your local Tesco: utterly delicious. Calabria is one of Italy’s major olive producing regions, with more than 50 types grown there including the only white olive. However, you would have had to have been hiding under a rock to be unaware of the soaring cost of olive oil.

Frantoio Mafrica explained the heart-breaking reason behind this alarming rise, and it’s not the market forces behind the soaring costs of other food. In fact, it’s because huge swathes of Italian olive groves have been hit by a terrible disease, which has killed the trees, many of them hundreds of years old.

As olive trees take so long to grow, the devastation of burning huge numbers of the diseased and dead trees has been a terrible price to pay for a country and region so fiercely proud of its ‘liquid gold’.

Knowing the passion, work and care that goes into making the best olive oil – and the devastation this blight has caused – I’ll complain much more quietly at the price next time.

Clarkson’s Farm has been popular with viewers since it first aired back in 2021 on Prime Video.

For the last four years, fans of Prime Video have been engrossed in Jeremy Clarkson’s exploits as he navigates the challenges of running Diddly Squat Farm on his popular show. This follows a recent heartfelt announcement from the presenter.

Clarkson’s Farm quickly became a fan favourite when it debuted in 2021, with viewers captivated by the comedic hurdles and blunders the former Top Gear host encountered while trying to run his Cotswolds farm.

Throughout his journey, Jeremy has been assisted by a cast of characters including Kaleb Cooper, Charlie Ireland, Gerald Cooper, Harriet Cowan and his partner Lisa Hogan, all of whom have become beloved figures on the show.

However, Jeremy’s long-time producer Andy Wilman revealed that the presenter didn’t believe he would ever have another hit after leaving the BBC motoring programme.

Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Andy confessed that they never anticipated the success of the show, reports Gloucestershire Live.

He said: “That was absolutely out of the blue. Jeremy never thought he was going to have another hit, you know? We were done.”

As Dominic Byrne praised the quality of the show, Andy explained that they had an agreement with Amazon for Grand Tours which required them to continue working, leading to individual projects.

He added: “Jeremy went, ‘I want to do life on my farm.’ And if I had a quid for every exec who rang me and went, ‘Can you talk him out of that?'”

Admitting he rang the TV personality to explain that nobody fancied him doing a programme about farm life, Jeremy confessed he couldn’t fault people for attempting to dissuade Andy from it.

Andy revealed that Jeremy was anxious as he reckoned it might be ‘the most boring thing’, but the personalities on Clarkson’s Farm made a massive difference to its triumph.

He added: “We didn’t see that cast coming.”

Thanks to Clarkson’s Farm’s popularity, it’s led to Kaleb securing his own show which he’s presently shooting in Australia.

The fresh four-part series on Prime Video will witness the TV personality exchange Chipping Norton for existence down under.

Discussing the forthcoming programme, he said: “I spend most of my time with the most travelled man in the world, so I got brave and booked my first ever flight to see what all the fuss was about. Australia here I come!

“And Australia, you’ll be gaining a new farmer for a couple of months as I discover if I can make my farming contracting business go international.”

Clarkson’s Farm is available to watch on Prime Video. Tune into The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X weekdays from 6:30am – 10am and on Global Player

Stumped for holiday present ideas? Food gifts have universal appeal: These are fun and practical at once. And even more meaningful because they’re from local small businesses including L.A. restaurants, bakeries, farms, markets and makers.

Who’s on your gift list? A chocolate lover? A Caracas-born chef in Pasadena makes her own hot chocolate mix from Venezuelan Criollo cacao. Coffee fan? East L.A.’s Picaresca Barra de Cafe roasts coffee beans and bottles its cinnamon-scented cafe de olla syrup. Tea aficionado? A Chinatown tea shop offers subscription boxes of thoughtful blends from China and Taiwan; some are rare finds.

And any farmers market regular would want to sport the Weiser Family Farm collab T-shirt emblazoned with a pink radish or Bonnie melon.

If you make a purchase using some of our links, the L.A. Times may be compensated. Prices and availability of items and experiences in the Gift Guide and on latimes.com are subject to change.