Brian boldly goes where Tom doesn’t want to follow. Stresses mount for Shula.

Radio Times: Brian does business his way.

Characters: Alan, Alistair, Brian, Gareth, Shula, Usha

• Good news for Usha and Alan – it seems they have a tenant for Blossom Hill Cottage. Usha is planning a run today, without Annabelle; Alan offers to meet her halfway with a Thermos.
• Brian meets the supermarket buyer, Gareth, who has been very impressed with the Tom Archer sausage brand – the quality of the product and the way it has been marketed. But times are hard and his offer represents quite a mark-down from their normal selling price. Brian tries to negotiate but Gareth is not going to budge and he adds some time pressure – he is taking to other local suppliers too.
• After a hard-hitting meeting with her accountant, Shula needs to escape – on horse-back of course – how else. She needs to think about cutting costs as the livery business is losing money. Alistair reports on the GA meeting and how well Ryan did.
• For Usha a brief refreshment stop with Alan is welcome, though an encounter with Shula, riding by, is not. She doesn’t linger and the conversation is characteristically civilised but cool.
• Brian reports back to Jenny on his meeting. Now he needs to work out how to sell the idea to Tom; he needs to do this soon – but not until he is ready.
• Shula’s ride has not made her choices any easier. She will have to cut down on staff costs and she thinks this can be done without actually making anyone redundant. The meeting with Usha she could have done without. Alistair encourages her to go to the bell-ringing meeting in the vicarage: a cosy social meeting with her church friends might be just what she needs.