Our Dream Farm with Matt Baker

Matt Baker helps the National Trust find a new tenant for the vacant Wallington Estate farm in Northumberland and its 340 acres of grassland, woodland and wetland. Matt follows the process as seven applicants for the 10-year lease spend three weeks demonstrating they have what it takes to be chosen for the position. In this first episode, Matt arrives at the estate to meet the seven applicants. It's lambing season, so the hopefuls get straight to work.

One pair of hopefuls become the first to spend a night in the farmhouse, with the responsibility of looking after the animals. As the temperature drops, the outside water pipes freeze, forcing them to fill buckets from the farmhouse for the livestock to drink. The National Trust set the hopefuls a task to prepare for the arrival of beavers into a 60-acre enclosure on the farm.

The applicants come to the end of their first week on the farm. Giles and Sally prepare to host the first round of business meetings at the Wallington Estate's grand house, where two hopefuls are selected to pitch their vision for the farm. The applicants all head to Hexham Farmers' Market to learn about marketing and selling produce direct from the farm to the public, engage with customers and work alongside fellow farmers.

Following the first elimination, six applicants now remain in the process, all hoping to secure the farm tenancy. With the ewes lambing, they need to be looked after at all hours. Matt introduces the next task - hosting a farm visit for a group of schoolchildren. Giles and Sally want to see the children learning about farming, conservation and food production, and of course, the children must have fun too.