Kelvin and Liz Fletcher are planning for their family's future after a fire forced them out of their farmhouse. As well as rebuilding their home, the couple are considering how to make more of their farmland. On ITV's Fletcher's Family Farm, airing on Sunday, Liz floated the idea of a maize maze with a cafe, while leaving room for Kelvin to grow oats.
Dividing the field between maize and oats
Getting ready to talk through their options, Liz asked her husband: "Should we just discuss the front fields with the crop? Got my notebook, which will also make Kelvin annoyed."
"Are we sitting next to each other or not?" Kelvin asked, prompting Liz to joke: "No, I'm not your friend." Kelvin added, "Living and working together can sometimes be a challenge, but we always kiss and make up. Eventually."
Despite the teasing, Liz had a clear idea of how they could divide the field between their two ambitions. She told Kelvin, "Let's split it. So I'd like to do the maize in this bottom bit, and then you can have your oats in this top bit. Because I'd like to do a maze with something happening in the middle, a cafe."
Rebuilding the family home
Explaining why she wanted to try something different, she added: "Because I don't want to waste the whole field on oats again, just in case it doesn't work, and at least we can lift this, and maybe make some money out of it as an event and as a crop."
The farm plans come as the family faces the lengthy task of rebuilding their house, which was damaged by fire while they were away on holiday last year.
Liz, a mum of four, said she was eager to put her energy into creating a home for the children again. "The next big project is actually our house, which I didn't ever think was going to be on the list. But yeah, it'll be nice to put this energy and effort into the house now and build a home for the kids," she said.
Looking forward to the rebuild
She revealed that their youngest children no longer remember living there: "The twins don't remember living in it. That's how long it's been. They call it the burnt house, which is sad, really, but listen, one day we'll be able to move back in, and it'll just be their home."
Although Liz knows the rebuild will take time, she is keen to get stuck in. "I imagine it'll take us forever to finish it, but I guess that'll be part of our story now, won't it? I can't wait to lay some bricks, start mixing some cement, doing some hard graft. I'm excited for it."
In a previous episode, Kelvin explained that smoke damage had made the farmhouse unlivable, while insurance rules meant it had to remain untouched for months. The arrival of a skip finally gave them a chance to start clearing the site. Liz said, "This is the moment we've been waiting for."
Fletcher's Family Farm airs on Sunday at 11.25am on ITV.
