Kelvin Fletcher and his wife, Liz, have agreed on plans to change their Cheshire farm, including adding a maize maze and a café serving afternoon tea. The couple discussed the farm's future during Sunday's episode of ITV's Fletcher's Family Farm.
Liz's proposal gets a quick yes
Liz suggested dividing a field between a maize maze incorporating a café and an area for Kelvin to grow oats. Her proposal received a swift response from the former Emmerdale star: "Yeah. Okay."
A surprised Liz asked: "Is that just a straight yes?" Kelvin Fletcher confirmed: "Yeah, that's a good plan." Explaining how they intended to use the land, Kelvin said: "Liz has done a cracking job planning it all out."
Café access and afternoon tea plans
The pair also considered where to put the café, with access a priority. Kelvin told his wife, "It might be easier having the cafe or whatever it is as a pop-up in the corner. Just thinking of access." They went on to discuss serving afternoon tea at the proposed café inside the maze.
Their latest plans follow an earlier episode in which the couple explored turning their sheep's wool into blankets to generate income. Liz explained that shearing the sheep cost them money, and selling blankets could help recoup some of those costs.
Diversifying income and involving the children
She highlighted the need to diversify to bring in more revenue, saying "farmers are struggling". Liz also spoke about why involving their children in the farm mattered to her.
"Having the kids involved and helping just makes it more special, because they'll one day, hopefully, take over, and me and Kelvin can be in the Bahamas," she said. "So I'm hoping that the kids are doing all this, and we're just sitting back, and they're sending us money," she laughed.
Looking to the future
Kelvin shared his own vision: "You know what I would actually love, let's say in, I don't know, 20 years from now, that I'm just kind of the farm handyman, the farm labourer, and that the kids are running a big farming enterprise."
Liz questioned whether he would be able to step back, asking: "Yeah, do you think you'll let go, though?" She added, "Do you think you'll let go of that control? Because, knowing you, I can't imagine it." Kelvin reflected: "I think that's probably the hardest thing for most farming families to let go."
Liz joked: "I won't. I'll be on a cruise. I'm doing my shift, and then I'm enjoying the rest of it." Fletcher's Family Farm airs on Sunday at 11.25am on ITV.
