COUNTRYFILE fans around the North Cotswolds will be able to see two of their own residents face the cameras as they present piglets to the BBC One programme presenter Anita Rami.

Despite not being from a farming background, Nick Francis, 32 and his brother, Jon, 30, from Brailes, near Shipston, decided to try their hand at pig farming. They now have a herd of 650 Tamworths and a growing clientele for their pork which include 40 Michelin starred restaurants, one being none other than Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons, near Oxford, which buys its breakfast sausages from the brothers.

"The purpose of the Countryfile visit was to profile our farm - from piglet all the way to plate - as 'first generation' pedigree pork farmers. "We're quite unusual in that we started our farm from scratch - we're not from a farming family - and are responsible for the pigs from birth, right up to them being sold from our butcher's shop in Lower Brailes," said Nick.

The brothers first became interested in pig breeding after rearing two Tamworth piglets they bought from Cotswold farmer and Countryfile presenter Adam Henson in 2008 and kept them at the bottom of their parents' garden.

They loved the meat and went on to purchase a sow which they farrowed, raised the offspring and began to realise there was a potential market for their pork.

After finishing university, the brothers decided to make a business of it and found a 60-acre parcel of land at Paddock Farm, in Fulready, near Shipston.

They rotate the pigs on the land to maximise the animals' health and wellbeing and ensure top quality meat which is slightly darker in colour than most commercial pork and has a marbling through it to add moisture and flavour.

The distinct, russet-coloured breed is one of the oldest indigenous pig breeds in the country and its distinct flavour comes from the fact it is slower to mature than commercial pork which is usually ready for the table at around four or five months old. In contrast, Tamworths are not ready until nearer seven months old.

In the few short years they have been working the farm they have created local employment with two full time butchers and a full-time cook who makes pork pies and sausage rolls for the shop. On the farm they have two full-time and one part-time pig herdsmen who are in charge of rearing the pigs and getting them ready for sending to the butchery.

"We had a great day's filming. Anita began by feeding the pigs in the field, then learned the basics of pork butchery in a hands-on class in our butchery and then went on to the Horse and Groom in Bourton-on-the-Hill where she cooked a couple of chops under the guidance of head chef Will Greenstock," Nick added.

The programme is due to be aired this Sunday, May 24, at 7pm.