Helen enjoys some company in the dairy as Ian offers his perspective on grieving.

Radio Times: Ian lends a supportive ear.

Characters: Adam, Alice, Clarrie, Helen, Ian, Roy, Susan

• The combine harvester at Home Farm is a bit more high tech than Ian is used to but he is interested to hear that strawberry picker productivity is slightly better. Dimitro is as slow as ever but can do no wrong in Alice’s eyes.
• Susan has been excused sausages early today, though it a mystery to Clarrie why she should want to rush back to that caravan. As well as cluttering Betty’s kitchen with papers Neil is following the workmen around. The foundations have got to be right because there is no leeway; when the kit house arrives it must fit. Roy comments on what Matt Crawford is doing to their old house: Susan’s prized avocado bathroom suite is in the skip now.
• Ian’s initial reception in the dairy was on a par with what others experience these days; Helen assumed that her mother had asked him to come. But no, he wanted to come to watch her make cheese. He volunteers to wash up – but not in pink gloves! That makes Helen laugh which he assures her is OK.
• Alice’s Chandler has had a bit too much new grass and is on starvation rations and light exercise. Adam invites his little sister to join in the student excursion to Stratford at the weekend – but she mustn’t slope off with Dimitro.
• As they break up the curd together, Helen apologises for her behaviour earlier. Ian likes it here; the atmosphere reminds him of home. He talks about his mother’s death when he was thirteen and how his brothers and his dad bottled it all up. He liked to be in the kitchen because he felt closer to his mother, so at least the family didn’t starve. Helen reveals that she has a jumper of Greg’s, like a comforter – but it’s not him though.