Originally from London, the Littardi family has taken well to country life, making the most of the land available to them.

Our ambitions to have a small-holding have yet to be realised but, in the mean time, we have brought a little of the small-holding to our back garden. We have six laying hens: Bessie, Charlie, Megan, Sam, Flick (shown in the above photo) and Bernie. The latter three are ex-battery hens we rescued from a farm in Norfolk thanks to the help of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT). Our ex-batts were very tired, nervous and simply lost in the great outdoors when we first brought them home. Almost completely bald, they are now well on the way to recovery and have nearly a complete coat of feathers each. Much more confident and relaxed now, they are quite entertaining, with each having its own character. We love the fact that we collect between four and six eggs every day. The novelty never seems to wear off.

Growing vegetables goes with the territory too and this year we have had a fabulous crop of tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce, but far fewer carrots and beans than usual.

We live in the lovely town of Downham Market, Norfolk where we enjoy immeasurable peace and quiet after work, visiting the thriving market on Fridays and Saturdays. Thirty minutes away from Cambridgeshire, the North Norfolk Coast and the East Midlands we are fortunate to have such rich surroundings. One hour and thirty minutes from London, King's Cross, we are able to serve a very wide area indeed. Many of our clients are London-based and enjoy the reduced rates we offer thanks to our lean operating methods and lower operating costs outside major cities.