The farmyard was quieter than I expected. No lowing cattle or squawking chickens, just a few sparrows chirping in, and swallows swooping out of, empty barns next to a red-brick house.

Lower House Farm in Herefordshire is open to the public through an organisation called Leaf (Linking Environment and Farming). Its resident farmer is Bruce who explains the difficulties of his job over a cup of coffee: he must act as a steward of the land – caring for both soil and wildlife – but he also has to make a profit.