Sugar Free Farm

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Sugar Free Farm

February 04, 2017 - 15:29
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In this second series, the ‘stars’ subjecting themselves to the torture, sorry, the challenge, are comedian Joe Pasquale, This Morning’s showbiz reporter Alison Hammond, the Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, actor Peter Davison, former Britain’s Got Talent father and son duo Stavros Flatley and professional spoilt brat Gemma Collins.

In this second series, the ‘stars’ subjecting themselves to the torture, sorry, the challenge, are comedian Joe Pasquale, This Morning’s showbiz reporter Alison Hammond, the Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, actor Peter Davison, former Britain’s Got Talent father and son duo Stavros Flatley and professional spoilt brat Gemma Collins.

By Matthew Gormley @MatthewPGormley

Just about every activity you could possibly think of has been turned into a reality show by now. Dancing, ice-skating, skiing, diving, motor racing, even rounding up sheep, so, last year, when I first heard about Sugar Free Farm, I was expecting another run-of-the-mill attempt at creating the next Strictly Come Dancing. This one, thankfully, is different. Half documentary, half reality show, Sugar Free Farm is an educational, informative and entertaining series which sees six celebrities (as ever, the term is used loosely) giving up every ounce of sugar consumed whilst living on a farm, learning how to become self-sufficient and produce healthy, nutritious meals.

In this second series, the ‘stars’ subjecting themselves to the torture, sorry, the challenge, are comedian Joe Pasquale, This Morning’s showbiz reporter Alison Hammond, the Right Honourable Ann Widdecombe, actor Peter Davison, former Britain’s Got Talent father and son duo Stavros Flatley and professional spoilt brat Gemma Collins.

They’re spending two weeks on the farm, being stripped off all things sweet, both natural and refined sources of sugar. During the opening episode, their eating habits were laid bare when they were shown exactly how many bags of sugar they consume, in total, during the year. I dread to think how much sugar I consume in 365 days. As somebody with an excessively sweet tooth, I’m a devil for sugary treats. An afternoon cuppa and a slice of cake or a scone is the highlight of my day. ‘Life’s too short to not eat cake’, has always been my motto, regardless of how badly worded that sentence may be. If I had to study my sugar habits, my opinion may change.

Admittedly, the meals that the celebrities prepare, all from fresh, home-grown vegetables and hand-reared meat, look deliciously appetising, even their morning porridge, but, as the delightfully dry Ann Widdecome likes to point out at every opportunity, it’s not real life. Outside of the bubble of the Sugar Free Farm, we haven’t got cows in our back garden or acres of fields upon which we can grow all our own veg. Without a nutritionist providing you with recipes and farm hands showing you the ropes, it would be extremely difficult, nigh on impossible, to completely eliminate all sources of natural and refined sugar, as it is present in everything, from the humble crumpet to your favourite fruits, which you normally rely on for healthy snacks. We’re constantly told that we shouldn’t diet, rather, make lifestyle changes, but living life as they do on Sugar Free Farm is unachievable.

They had all managed to lose a remarkable amount of weight over the course of the 14 days, with Ann being the only celeb who failed to shift a single pound. Quite how that’s possible, having all lived off the same diet, is beyond me. Even Gemma Collins had succeeded in shifting the pounds, despite annoying everybody with her laziness and can’t-do attitude, particularly in the first week, when she refused to join in with the farming tasks. She’s so out of touch with the real world, she genuinely believes that she doesn’t need to do the hard work because everybody else will do it for her. Gemma and Alison were, at one point, caught out for shovelling sneaky omelettes down their necks in the middle of the night. It begs the question, why sign up for such a programme if you’re not willing to take on the challenge?

In the final episode, as the celebrities reflected on their experiences and achievements, Ann Widdecombe was the only one brave enough to admit that she couldn’t wait to get back on the cakes. Now, there’s a woman after my own heart.

Sugar Free Farm was far more enjoyable than the usual reality show trash. It served a purpose in that it educated us all as to how much sugar we really do consume and how addicted we can become. However, it also made blindingly obvious that going cold turkey would be far harder than it looks.