WITH MORE than 1000 followers on a closed facebook page, Andy Frazier's Top Line and Top Tales has enjoyed a rapt audience since start up a few months ago.

Dedicated to the talents of stockmen and breeders over the years, there have been some lively discussions about the merits or otherwise of some famous (and not so famous) animals and their handlers.

So much so that Andy – a former stockman himself – has now made an enjoyable and growing selection of downloadable podcasts to go with the page. From the merits of the breeding programmes enacted by the late J Ernest Kerr, of Harviestoun, and the Adam family, from Newhouse, to stories about the irascible characters behind the halters, like Dave Smith, Bert Rugg, and 'Gentleman' Jim Donald, these provide a fascinating insight of the 'glory days' of British stockmanship.

He must have been stuck recently for interview material and so our editor, Ken Fletcher and retired photographer, John Fraser, were roped in for one of the more recent podcasts. At least you're bound to get a laugh out of it!

Go to https://andyfrazierpodcast.podbean.com/ for hours of fun – you won't be going out socially anyway!

Say cheese ...

A 'cheese emergency' has been declared after it was reported last week that British supermarkets with stores in Europe were facing supply problems as a result of post-Brexit rules on exports to the EU.

The news reported that fresh produce at 20 Marks and Spencer stores in France, Morrison's in Gibralter, and a chain of UK supermarkets in Belgium were on the verge of closure with no deliveries since December.

However, Somerset-based Wyke Farms was quick to take action and supplied the shops with three pallet-loads of its award-winning cheddar within two days. And now, the cheese maker has taken matters into its own hands, encouraging any retailers experiencing cheese shortages to contact them directly using a specially set up email account that is being monitored daily: cheeseemergency@wykefarms.com