Wilson & Ashley

Put your thoughts into the mix This week on the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, we tackle two issues affecting rural Britain right now: the rise of AI and concerns around the future of creativity, alongside the growing rural crime epidemic impacting farmers and countryside communities across the UK. We begin by discussing a recent video from artist and farming supporter Doodling Lucy, exploring fears t...

Put your thoughts into the mix We're tackling the controversial British food labelling loophole and ask whether supermarket packaging is confusing consumers — or outright misleading them. With imported food products often displaying Union Jacks, British countryside imagery and phrases like “Packed in Britain” or “Prepared in the UK”, are shoppers being led to believe they’re supporting Britis...

Put your thoughts into the mix In Part 2 of our Foot and Mouth series, we move beyond the initial outbreak and into the harsh reality of what it took to bring it under control — and the lasting impact it had far beyond the farm gate. This is the side of the story that is rarely spoken about. We hear from a slaughterman working at the very front line of the response — confronting the scale, intensi...

Put your thoughts into the mix In this first part of our two-part series, we step back into 2001 — to the beginning of the Foot and Mouth outbreak. An outbreak that would change British farming forever. What started as a single confirmed case quickly escalated into a national crisis. But behind the headlines and statistics were real people, real farms, and real lives being turned upside down. In t...

Put your thoughts into the mix What really happens when you put rewilding, farming, and real-life rural voices in the same conversation? In this unfiltered and often hilarious episode, we dive deep into one of the most controversial debates in modern agriculture : 👉 Should land be rewilded—or should it feed people? From sleep-deprived lambing nights and muddy farm realities to the growing pressur...

Put your thoughts into the mix In this episode of the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, off the back of a great reel from Schöffel Country and The Country Food Trust, we talk about how game meat is being used to tackle food poverty in the UK.  When you actually look at the numbers, food poverty is hard to ignore - millions of people in the UK are struggling to access enough food, there are now more food...

Put your thoughts into the mix In this episode of the Wilson & Ashley Podcast we’re looking at two topics that have been making plenty of noise both online and in real life: the controversy surrounding multi-million follower account, Ballerina Farm, and the ongoing debate around taking children out of school during term time. If you spend any time on the rustic American farming side of social...

Put your thoughts into the mix This week we're asking should farmers be wearing SPF like it’s PPE? From influencer 50-step skincare routines and £100 moisturisers to the harsh reality of UV exposure in agriculture, we dig into why so many farmers skip sunscreen — and whether that says something bigger about how the industry approaches wellbeing in general.  With 17,500 new melanoma cases in t...

Put your thoughts into the mix This episode is brought to you in partnership with with our Headline Sponsor, BKT and Kirkby Tyres .  Is solar grazing a genuine triple-win or just clever greenwashing? This episode talks about two big topics in farming at the moment - land use and milk price - and who ultimately pays the price for cheap energy and cheap food. We open with the rise of solar grazing,...

Put your thoughts into the mix This episode is brought to you in partnership with with our Headline Sponsor, BKT and Kirkby Tyres .  In this episode of the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, we take on two big questions shaping the future of food, work and farming. We begin by looking at the significant changes happening on our supermarket shelves... changes which are perhaps going under the radar. From c...

Put your thoughts into the mix We're starting this week's episode with animal welfare and the UK Government’s new Animal Welfare Strategy for England, which aims to cover farmed animals, pets and wildlife under one policy framework. With proposed changes ranging from livestock production systems to dog breeding and wildlife management, we ask whether one strategy can realistically work f...

Put your thoughts into the mix Welcome back to Episode 19 of the Wilson & Ashley Podcast — our final episode before Christmas! Somehow, despite an entire year to prepare, we’ve managed to finish on Episode 19 instead of 20 (sorry to those of you who like your round numbers!) A festive combination of poor planning, questionable maths, and general disorganisation. Should we record a bonus episod...

Put your thoughts into the mix In this episode, we’re tackling the controversy around the recent Budget Day farmer protest in London — what was meant to be a well-planned, low-disruption demonstration against the proposed “family farm tax” turned chaotic after the Met Police reversed permissions less than 24 hours before farmers arrived. Tractors were banned from Whitehall, some still made it into...

Put your thoughts into the mix In this episode of Wilson & Ashley, we unpack two big, and sometimes controversial, topics shaping the future of food and farming: Cambridge University’s move towards a 100% plant-based menu and the fast-growing interest in regenerative agriculture across the UK. We begin with Cambridge University’s 2023 vote supporting fully plant-based catering across its servi...

Put your thoughts into the mix In this episode of the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, we explore two major stories shaping farming and rural life. First, it's the rise of female ranchers in the US, sparked by a recent US Guardian article. We're lucky enough to hear in detail from a real life cowgirl, Faith from Little Jennie Ranch.  With women now making up more than 36% of agricultural produ...

Put your thoughts into the mix First up, we’re heading to Australia to ask: do they do it better when it comes to farm employment and training? From government-backed gap year schemes like AgCareerStart to hands-on training farms for short-term workers, we explore how the Aussies attract and upskill new people into agriculture — and whether the UK could learn a thing or two.  But is the cost reall...

Put your thoughts into the mix Is there any hope for farmers when it comes to political decision-making? We're fresh back from the Conservative Party Conference, invited by Victoria Atkins, Conservative MP and Shadow Environment Secretary, where it really did feel like farming took centre stage. In this episode, we talk more about Victoria's declaration of the "food and farming emer...

Put your thoughts into the mix Schooling. It’s something we’ve both talked about a lot beyond the podcast—mainly because our own experiences couldn’t have been more different. In this episode, we tackle the big question of: to school or not to school? Prompted by a viral Stacey Dooley reel and plenty of conversations in our own new Podcast Community on Facebook, we explore the rise of home schooli...

Put your thoughts into the mix This week, we're talking about the first ever and compeltely unique Borderline Challenge, being undertaken by Cumbrian brother-and-sister duo Hugh and Alex Addision. It's all in aid of the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and with a £10,000 fundraising target already smashed, their incredible journey not only pushes physical limits but also shines...

Put your thoughts into the mix This week on the podcast, we’re tackling two big talking points in farming — one heated debate, and one devastating disease. First up: children on farms. After Farmers Weekly ran a piece comparing farm kids to Victorian chimney sweeps, the backlash was fierce.  We're asking are the clickbait headlines distracting from farming’s real health and safety issues? Do...

Put your thoughts into the mix This week, we’re de-briefing you on a couple of hectic weeks with a fair bit of time adventuring around the country! We're moving from the heart of Wales to the #Farm24, the UK’s biggest digital celebration of British farming. We kick things off at the Royal Welsh Show, and trust us when we say it's seriously Welsh! There's definitely two sides to the...

Put your thoughts into the mix This week, we're talking about the real cost of food – and the true reality of many of the products that are on supermarket shelves. Inspired by a video from B FRANK Health, we unpack the rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), how they’ve warped our perception of value, and why real, nutritious food can feel “too expensive” – despite the fact it shouldn’t be. Gov...

Put your thoughts into the mix This week on the Wilson and Ashley Podcast, we’re tackling the conversation around Glastonbury... but we're looking beyond the music. Held on a 1,000-acre working dairy farm, we ask: are vegan festivalgoers being hypocrites? If ticket sales support farming, can you really separate the two? We unpack the festival’s environmental impact, from solar panels on cattl...

Put your thoughts into the mix Disclaimer: This episode covers a sensitive and delicate subject, including practices around religious slaughter. We approach the topic with respect and aim to present balanced, factual information. In this episode, we attempt to unpack the complex and often controversial world of Halal and Kosher slaughter in the UK. Triggered by a 100,000-strong petition calling no...

Put your thoughts into the mix We’re back — and fresh from our very first outing with the Wilson and Ashley podcast trailer! We still can't believe that people came looking for us to have a chat after listening to our episodes! Sitting in our trailer, it really did bring home how we want the episodes to be like a chat between friends! One question kept cropping up… “How did you two even meet?...