Cameras find Malhamdale to be a tasty setting

It has come about because Chris was one of the first to spot the value of new technology in connecting farms in the back of beyond to the outside world and to a potential pool of customers on a scale undreamt of in the days of farm gate sales.

He set up a company to take orders online for traditional and rare breed meat products from his family’s livestock and from other producers in the area and he despatches them to all parts.

He also runs the website for Malhamdale, so when the TV researchers started looking for the next generation of local food programmes, his name was one of the first to pop up on the computer search engines.

Chris, of Church End Farm, says, “We’re a typical upland farm really. We have sheep and pigs, but we are also pretty hot on the internet side of things. We have a food blog and an e-commerce website. If you Google ‘Yorkshire food’ we will be in the mix somewhere.”

His Malhamdale website does pretty well too. The beauty of Gordale Scar, Malham Cove, Malham Tarn and the annual Malham Show draw tens of thousands of visitors throughout the year, and many more visit the website.

Chris will be waiting in anticipation for the start of one of the TV series in which he appears next Thursday. “It’s called One Man & His Camper Van,” says Chris. “A chap called Martin Dorey travels 2,500 miles around the UK in his red and white 1970s Volkswagen camper van.

“He looks for camp sites that are usually a bit remote and, although Gordale is only a short distance from the village of Malham, I think the production team and Martin were swayed by the sheer beauty and majesty of the location.

“Martin then goes off searching for local food and takes it back to his van and cooks supper.

“They asked me to walk down to the camp site with some of our produce.”

It was filmed last summer and Chris took along his very un-Yorkshire sounding Yorkshire Chorizo sausage.

“It’s made here in Malhamdale and Martin really liked it, along with some eggs from a local ostrich farm.

“The programme is really a great advertisement for this area.

“We ended the day sat in deckchairs in the sun drinking beers which we had left to chill in the stream.

“Martin is a cool surfer dude, a lot cooler than me, but we’re of the same age and it turned out we had a lot in common.”

He also ended up staying one night longer.

“Martin got up in the middle of the night, smacked his head on a sharp corner of a cupboard and ended up at Airedale Hospital for stitches. I think they’ve kept that bit in as well.”

Malham Tarn was the focus for the other programme, presented by Olly Smith, in which Chris appears. Called The Secret Supper Club. “Food producers from all over the county came to our little village hall.

“I ended up being chosen, along with a lady called Dolly who runs a delicatessen in Whitby, to put together a wholly Yorkshire-produce based meal at Malham Tarn.

“Not everything goes to plan. Olly Smith fails in his bid to shoot a duck for the meal.”

One Man & His Camper Van, BBC2, 6.30 pm daily from Monday.

The Secret Supper Club starts today at 3.50pm on Channel 4. The programme featuring Malham Tarn will be on a future Saturday.

Chris Wildman’s food blog: http://paganum.wordpress.com