Haven My ADAM HENSON

The Countryfile host and rare breed farmer, 51, in the kitchen at his farmhouse in the Cotswolds

1 MY DAD’S ANIMAL MAGIC I was brought up with my three older sisters in this house. My dad Joe took on the farm tenancy in 1962 and I succeeded him in 2003. So this has been my home pretty much all my life. This photo is of me and Dad at a cattle market. I loved spending time with him sharing our passion for farming. Because of his collection of rare farm animals he ended up working on Animal Magic with Johnny Morris, and I followed in his footsteps when I joined Countryfile in 2001. 2 A VERY SPECIAL ALBUM This is me, my partner Charlie and our children Ella, 19, and Alfie, 14, at the Olympics in 2012, and the Specials LP below has its place in our story too.

It’s one of the first albums I bought and Charlie borrowed it when we were at school together but never gave it back. When we got together again in our twenties and

Charlie moved in with me, the LP returned to its original owner. 3 SHEAR GENIUS Shepherds have used crooks to catch sheep and lambs for generations and this one was made for me by wonderful crook-maker Derek Deans, complete with a ram’s horn handle. It’s lovely and tactile and I use it a lot on the farm when working the sheep. We shear our sheep as a demonstration in front of the public with most of our rare-breed wool sold to local spinners and weavers. 4 KING’S CUFFLINKS My grandfather Leslie Henson entertained the troops during the war and appeared on the bill at various Royal Variety Performances.

King George VI couldn’t give him a knighthood because he was divorced, which was taboo in those days, so he presented him with these platinum shirt studs with diamond inlays and cufflinks as a thank you for all his work. Lesley gave them to Dad, who then gave them to me. I had lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2015 and I told her the story behind the cufflinks. 5 OUR FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS Our Hungarian wire-haired Vizslas Boo and Olive share the kitchen with us. They’re easy to train, great with children and good guard dogs. We’ve had Vizslas since the children were young. I also have two working sheepdogs who live in the kennels outside. Dogs have always been part of my life. If people ask me what my favourite animal is I’ll say a dog, and if they ask what my favourite farm animal is I’ll say a sheepdog! 6 BANGERS AND BEER On the table you can see rapeseed oil that our neighbour Hamish Campbell cold-presses from our oilseed rape crop. We also grow Marris Otter malting barley and work closely with the local Butcombe Brewery who make this beer called Rare Breed. I run the farm with my friend Duncan Andrews and we support local businesses by selling their produce in our farm shop – as well as our own meats like bacon and sausages. We also run the rare breeds Cotswold Farm Park here, which my dad started in 1971.