A local farmer grazes his sheep on the field that's part of our home, near Boston Spa, and watching them munching away at the grass made me think about taking on livestock of our own. The problem was that I didn't want anything that I'd end up eating – as a city boy, the idea of knowing the name of my dinner was decidedly off-putting.

The situation became more pressing when the sheep were moved to another field and I was left with the tedious and time-consuming job of cutting the grass myself. The solution presented itself four years ago while I was on holiday with my wife, Karen, and children, Charlotte and Joe, in the Lake District and we came across a herd of alpacas.

We now have four – Millie, Amy, Pedro and Maron – who are not only delightful companions, but highly effective lawnmowers and providers of high-grade wool that is used to make top-end garments.

The alpaca is a domesticated species of South American camelid that resembles a small llama. However, whereas a llama is used as a beast of burden, alpacas aren't big enough to carry much and are bred exclusively for their hair or wool.

They originate in the Andes of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and
Chile, where they are kept in herds that graze at very high altitudes throughout the year. This means they are extremely hardy animals, able to take care of themselves in the toughest conditions.

Shearing alpacas is a specialist skill and we use a professional shearer who spends half the year in the UK and the other half Down Under, touring in a van and waiting for dry periods when alpacas can be sheared – they can't be done when wet. The difference between an alpaca before and after shearing is astonishing. They go from being a big ball of fluff to resembling an emaciated goat.

Apart from shearing, we look after all our alpacas' needs, including clipping their toe nails four or five times a year. This must be done because their nails don't get worn down in the soft paddock.

We don't keep our alpacas for commercial purposes – you would need a herd of 20 to 30 to make it viable. We donate the wool to a friend who spins and weaves as a hobby and turns the wool into garments.

Stuart Watson, audit partner at the Leeds office of Ernst & Young, talks about his passion for keeping alpacas