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In the Gloucestershire countryside, close to the River Severn and on the edge of the Forest of Dean, sits Hayling’s Farm at Flaxley with its 200 year old fruit orchard. It’s here that Ben Swinley not only tends to his 1,600 trees but also indulges his passion for unique local varieties of plum. Among the organic Victorias and Czars he grows other plums which are native to this corner of the county; ones with evocative names such as Dymock, Blaisdon Red, Rodley Blackjack and Westbury Rivers Early Prolific.

As harvest gets underway, Vernon Harwood joins Ben to find out why he’s become a champion of the ‘unusual, little known and very local’ and to explore the family ties to the village which go back to the 1600s. Ben is following in the footsteps of his father, Captain Bill Swinley, who made a lasting impact when he featured in a memorable edition of On Your Farm in 1995. But 30 years later, is it possible to make a living from growing seasonal English plums in the face of supermarket competition and year-round availability?

Produced and presented by Vernon Harwood