Many rare breeds of livestock face decline and extinction in the face of the hyper-productivity required by commercial farming today. Hybrid animals have been created which grow to unnatural sizes and mature quickly but when corners are cut something is lost and in this situation, the taste and healthiness of our food is suffering. Not forgetting the welfare of the livestock, which can't fend for themselves and need expensive systems and drugs to keep them alive - some animals have even lost the ability to breed without our assistance! Our traditional British rare breeds are tastier, hardier and often more pleasing to the eye, ideal for smallholders or those who want a few hens as pet egg layers!

Unfortunately these breeds have been ignored for decades and the quality has suffered. Derbyshire Redcap chickens, one of the oldest breeds in Britain, were once popular for laying well but have only been bred for exhibition purposes - the breed has a very large comb but has been bred as if this is all that matters. The result? A bird that has a huge comb but lays few eggs and is therefore not as popular so numbers drop and the cycle goes on until the breed and its unique characteristics are gone.