EVERY morning Angela and husband Philip are woken by the bellowing of their Dexter bull.

"He decides when we get up," said Angela. "It is usually around 6am because he thinks that his breakfast can't wait any longer!

"Before work starts, a good breakfast is really important.

"Poached duck eggs are our favourite. They have a lovely big bright yellow yolk which has so much flavour."

The Boddington's is a family business. Son Sam, aged 30, works with them full-time and daughters Lucy, 27, and Alice, 23, part-time. There is always plenty to get stuck into.

"It's great that all of us are involved," said Angela "but sometimes it is hard, particularly if I have to tell them off!

"We like to let the hens have time to lay their eggs before breakfast but then we open up their houses and they spend the rest of the day scratching about the yard.

"One of Philip's first jobs is to set off on his rounds checking all the birds, their feeders, drinkers and making sure they have enough clean bedding in their houses.

"We really pride ourselves on how much care and attention we give to the welfare of our birds. After all, healthy happy stock makes for good production and the best quality meat.

"My first thoughts each day are usually about how many birds we have to prepare for orders.

"At the moment, it is about 30 or 40 a day and that means plucking, waxing, gutting, dressing, weighing, packaging and labelling.

"It all takes time, particularly because we know that our customers expect the very high standard that we have set ourselves.

"We're always at work by eight o'clock," said Angela. "That way we know that we can be finished our main jobs by 3pm."

Why did the Boddington family decide on birds for a business?

"We've done almost everything down the years," said Angela.

"We have a small farm, just eight acres and we've tried quite a few things - pigs, cattle and sheep.

"We still keep a few. But this all started about 10 years ago when I thought I would need to go back to work to keep enough income coming in.

"I went to work for another local farmer who was rearing ducks to sell as dressed birds to the restaurant trade.

"I learnt all about it and then practised! Particularly the processing and marketing side which I was new to.

"What made it successful was the high quality of everything we produced. Only the best would do. I could really see potential in that sort of business for us.

"Coincidentally, the man I worked for was due to retire and so we asked him if he would help us to start our own business.

"He was keen that his customers continued to be supplied by a local business like us and this was a 'leg-up' that we really needed and appreciated.

"Soon we had built our own facilities and started processing our own birds.

"That was eight years ago. Since then we've done more every year.

"The first farmers' market we attended was one of the very first in this part of the country at Stratford-upon-Avon.

"When the Worcestershire group began its markets four years ago, we joined in too. We now attend about a dozen markets a month."

This year has seen another exciting development for the Boddingtons. They have opened their own shop at Willow Farm. It is open from Monday to Saturday between 9am and 6pm.

"Our new farm shop gives our business more balance," said Angela.

What advice would Angela give to other producers thinking of starting to sell their produce at farmers markets?

"You have to like people," she said firmly.

"Farmers are naturally shy and don't find being on show very easy.

"But what I have found is that people shopping at farmers' markets are often there because they want to meet the people that produce the food they are buying for their families to eat."

Look out for farmers' markets near you - if you would like more information phone 07795 656148 or visit www.worcestershirefarmersmarkets.net