If you want to make a modest start in the business of keeping livestock, chickens are an obvious option. You may never graduate to ducks, geese or turkeys, let alone sheep, pigs or cattle...

The cow is, of course, the ultimate dual-purpose animal for the smallholder, since it is able to provide both meat and milk - the latter being the starting point for all kinds of delectable...

Of all the culinary adventures I've had over the past few years, at River Cottage and elsewhere, one of the most satisfying - in the field, in the kitchen and, not least, at the table - is the rearing and processing of my own pigs...

Some people may find it hard to get excited about sheep ? compared to, say, pigs or cattle ? and if you see no charm at all in the animals you should not get involved with them...