Never mind the Mark Wilkinson kitchen and statement black Aga - today's country house buyers want a patch beyond the back door where the chickens can scratch about in the dirt.
Estate agents report a rise in inquiries, particularly from young buyers, for properties where they can keep chickens. Many call the trend "the Jamie effect", believing it to be inspired by the chef Jamie Oliver's recent television investigation into how battery-farmed chickens are treated.
"Chickens have definitely become more fashionable," says Philip Eddell, head of Savills' country house consultancy department. "It has been a bit of a surprise how people have become more addicted to the idea of keeping chickens since Jamie's programme.
They are particularly keen on smart ornamental breeds and younger buyers are really very interested now in where their food comes from. They want to know the eggs are organic and fresh - and what better way than getting them from chickens on your own land?"
The influence of Oliver and fellow television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is strong, confirms Edward Church of Strutt & Parker, Canterbury. "They have stimulated many enquiries from would-be 'good lifers', seeking a small patch of England to raise chickens and perhaps create a vegetable patch. |
