A NEW breed of chicken is strutting round South West poultry farms, developed and introduced by Lloyd Maunder to bring back the flavour of chicken as we used to know it, with characteristics ideal for free range and organic rearing methods.

A slower growing breed with many traditional characteristics, "The Devonshire" as it has been named, quickly showed in trials that it is naturally more vigorous, leading to a more active and healthy bird. These characteristics encourage the birds to roam more and show natural foraging behaviour, scratching, preening and dust bathing, allowing them to lead a more active, full and enriched life. The result is an improved flavour and texture, immediately noticed by customers.

In a very competitive market, steadily being undermined by cheap imports and the pressures of intensive farming, Lloyd Maunder have held on to their reputation for high quality and welfare standards. No anti-biotic growth-enhancers are used and any form of medication is avoided unless prescribed by the vet. Feed ingredients such as wholewheat grains supplemented with non-GMO high protein soya and pure soya oil, peas and rapeseed provide a healthy balanced diet. No water and protein fillers are added during the production process and the result is a full flavoured chicken with a natural texture, which reminds you of what chicken used to taste like.

These birds are proving to be perfect for traditional husbandry methods on the small West Country family-run farms under contract to the company to rear them.

"The 46 farmers who are rearing these chickens take a great deal of care over their birds and are probably the best stockmen in the country," says Andrew Maunder, the company's commercial director. Sainsbury's, delighted with the new chicken products, have begun to promote the new "Devonshire" breed strongly in their stores throughout the country, with sales rising steadily.

These strategies - their own unique breed - grown for longer under the perfect West Country conditions, produced to the highest standards and quality levels, are all part of Lloyd Maunder's fight to hold and develop market share and keep alive the farming tradition in the West Country.

"We can't sit still for a moment," says Andrew Maunder, "and I want people to know that they can depend on us to produce the best under the best conditions. We are marketing these birds with pride as a top quality West Country food product that is well worth paying a little more to enjoy."