03/08/2025

Kate’s ears prick up when she finds out Kirsty’s on the hunt for a lodger. She thinks she may know just the person. She suggests Chris Carter might need to take back Rookery Cottage while he’s out of the flat, leaving Jakob without a home. She volunteers him for a look round Willow Farm, while admitting to a crestfallen Kirsty that he can be annoyingly fussy. Brian’s determined to stick to his plan of refusing to harvest the BL wheat. Kate insists this is not a good idea – it’s bound to get messy if solicitors get involved. Brian doesn’t want to hear it. Stella also gets on Brian’s case, to no avail. She then suggests a meeting with Justin to try and iron things out, to which Brian grudgingly agrees. Having worked her persuasive magic on Justin by pointing out the awkwardness of her situation, he too accedes to her request to meet. Justin declares that Home Farm is contracted to harvest the wheat, and there’s a stalemate as Brian points out that any legal proceedings against him would take so long that the crop would be spoiled anyway. All Justin needs to do is drop his controversial plans and the harvest can start tomorrow. Despairing Stella gets them to meet on common ground – their mutual trust in her. But any hope of a rapprochement is lost when Justin brings up the poisoning of the Am, and mentions Jennifer. Brian leaves, spitting his parting shot: Justin’s wheat can rot in the dirt.