Today the rare breed stock he produces forms the heart of the successful farm and meat business he and his family run from the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors. Mr Ashbridge's rare breed pork is a hit with some of the top markets and restaurants in the country.

From their 60-acre farm at Cold Kirby, near Sutton Bank, the family specialise in rare breed pigs, lambs and cattle which are finding favour with diners as far away as London and Ireland.

Concentrating on this niche market and utilising traditional Yorkshire farming methods have reaped benefits for the family since they decided to change tack six years ago.

Their Mount Grace farm was originally a mixed use 100-acre farm of arable and livestock. Mr Ashbridge and his mother Joyce decided to alter their approach and reduced the land, deciding to concentrated purely on rare and traditional breed livestock farming.

Today they are probably more commonly known for their Taste Tradition business, which provides wholesale high quality meat which their farm helps support.

The decision to move away from commercial farming came after the family enjoyed a particularly special meal together.

Mr Ashbridge said: "Around 2003 we tried some rare breed pork from one of our local butchers.

"It was fantastic – we had never tasted pork like it, but unfortunately the rare breed pork was not always available. So what could we farmers do to address this? We brought in some rare breed pigs and sold them locally on to family, friends and restaurants – it just went on from there.

"We had a stand at the Restaurant Show in London and found out there was a demand for our pork from much further afield", he said. Keen to control more aspects of the business, such as the breaking down of carcasses and all the butchery, the pair decided to look for their own premises.

In early 2007 their business took a big step forward by renting their own premises at Thirsk Industrial Park. From there they cut all their meat and distributed it to their clients.

The bold move was a risk, but one that has paid off in a big way – now employing eight people full time.

"It was a big leap for us. Before we were producing about five or six pigs a week, now we are doing 100 to 120," said Mr Ashbridge.

While the experiment was a success for the farmers and the resultant business is performing well, he said that farmers looking to change their approach will not find it easy.

"There is one way to learn in business and that is the hard way. You do not forget the lessons you learn. It is not like any other business. In any other everyday market in the high street you do not walk into a shop and ask for something at a certain price. In the farming trade it is just done. It makes it difficult to go in to see a bank manager with a business plan.

"We sold some of the land and it is now compressed into 60 acres. We still have all our own livestock which is all slaughtered and sold through Taste Tradition.

"At one time everything Taste Tradition sold came from Mount Grace farm – now we have 20 dedicated suppliers." Now split between the twin sites of Mount Grace and Thirsk Industrial Park, Mr Ashbridge says he enjoys the dual role he has in his working life.

His farm is home to a wide variety of breeds, boasting pig herds of outdoor sows, Saddleback, Middle White and Gloucester Old Spot.

On his farm cattle range from Aberdeen Angus, Herefords, Longhorns, Galloways and Dexters, while there are also Mule Cross sheep and Suffolks.

In total the 60-acre site features about 250 lambs, 350 rare breed pigs and about 30 beef cattle.

"Now if somebody asks me what I do I don't know whether to say I am a farmer or a butcher," said Mr Ashbridge. He believes that usually it is not people in the meat business going into farming, but the other way round.

"It is something that is in your blood. I love the seasons, I love to see the harvesting being done, I love to see stock grow. I think I could get as much enjoyment looking at a nice field of cows and calves as people get from going to the theatre. I still farm and I do it because I enjoy it.

"I work to improve the stock. I can bring any paper work to the office and then get home and feed the animals at night.

"One thing about the rare breeds is that they are fairly resilient." Mr Ashbridge strongly believes in rearing his animals in as natural a way as possible.

He does not advocate the use of antibiotics in animal feed as a form of care, claiming that just feeding animals normally helps them to finish better. He sees the future of his business in offering what others cannot – in the form of high quality products that are worth the money.

"We supply into Ireland and London, as well as some celebrity chefs and fantastic local people like restaurants, bars and hotels. We are selling into a good market and have something that is different.

"We are one of the largest rare breed pork producers in the county. The days of taking five pigs into a market are gone. With the cost of fuel why bother?

"If you improve production and actually reduce costs then hopefully you are going to sell a bit more. I do not want to be cheap.

"When people ring up and say their customers said that was amazing – that is a real reward for us."

He particularly attributes the popularity of his home-reared animals with consumers to increasing awareness of British produce and growing interest in quality food. "Food is back and becoming fashionable again," he said.

"If you go back 10 years or so ago you would have had Delia Smith on a TV programme giving a cookery course which was probably watched by a certain age group, and probably not for the young.

"With people like Jamie Oliver you suddenly had younger people who watched him and he got watched by the mainstream.

"Things like The F-Word have been great in educating people about meat and where it comes from.

"Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Chicken Run had a massive impact on the poultry industry. And it has done our sales good.

"You will find more and more people are getting interested in local produce. People want to know three things – where it has come from, how its been produced and for you to tell them the breed. It tells the consumer what they want to hear and that is very important."

He also claims that his farm's idyllic location near Sutton Bank helps with his products' image.

"We are very fortunate in that we come from Yorkshire. We are here within the county of Yorkshire which is rewarding as it is its own brand.

"In the meat industry Scottish beef is thought to be of premium quality. For us in Yorkshire, whatever we are selling people think of the North York Moors, of heather, of rural communities and small farms – they know it is special."