Farmer scoops four awards

- Published: 20 September, 2007

A farmer is celebrating after winning four awards for her meat in the Taste of the West food competition.

Rebecca Jones, of Hinton Marsh Farm, Bourton, near South Marston, competed against 270 other farmers and butchers from across the West Country.

The 33-year-old won silver for her sundried tomato pork sausages, and bronze for her rolled beef sirloin, fillet steak and leg of lamb.

She said: "We put a lot of hard work into it and it's our life being on the farm. We really get to understand the animals and their meat. It was the first time we had won for our sausages."

Jones, who says she is struggling under Government restrictions following the foot and mouth outbreak in Surrey, sells at farmers' markets and delivers direct to homes around Swindon.

She said that her success was partly down to on-site butcher Robert Illingworth.

"He is really conscientious," she said. "He does a lot of traditional butchery so there's no added water or any rubbish parts of animals in the sausages."

He also hung the lamb and beef in special conditions to improve the flavour.

Jones said that the awards would emphasise the quality of her produce to customers at farmers' markets in Swindon Outlet Village and Wanborough.

Jones is the third-generation of a family that has farmed in Bourton since 1956.