Many with large gardens in Lincolnshire, with space set aside for a kitchen garden, delight in growing their own vegetables. This is often followed by keeping chickens and enjoying fresh eggs each morning. But keeping livestock seems to be a gulf that few Lincolnshire farming enthusiasts and smallholders are inclined to cross.

Boston's Jason James is hoping to change all that though, with a series of smallholder courses designed to help those seeking to reconnect with their food and with the countryside too.

Next month, he'll be hosting his first Introduction to Pigkeeping course, a practical and theoretical one-day crash course in the art of keeping pigs both for food and fun.

"It was something we always wanted to do."

Says Jason who created his smallholding in 2008 and last year added pigs to his vegetable plot.

"It was difficult to make an informed decision as there were no experts on hand. We want to host a day when people can make an informed decision about keeping pigs. For those who already have a smallholding there's usually an intention to progress to chickens, but keeping livestock is often considered a little too involved."

Jason's courses began in September 2010, and have already included bee keeping, poultry keeping and a food safety course for smallholders.

Debuting in March, however, is a course designed to provide those who would love to keep pigs with all of the information they need to make an informed decision as to whether they've the room, time and money to ensure their animals' welfare.

"The courses are a combination of practical tuition and theory." says Jason. "It's the course we needed before we began to keep our animals."

Originally from Sussex, Jason spent a decade travelling around the UK, and his time included a posting at RAF Digby.

He eventually returned to the county with wife Fiona with the intention of having a little land upon which they could grow their own food and upon which the couple's children, Harry, Lucy and Charlie could play in safety.

Help during the family's acquisition of their curly-tailed chums came courtesy of neighbour Jasper Clark of Holme Farm

Poultry. The family were a little more savvy than most and already knew that there is no such things as 'micro-pigs' the urbanised fashion accessories eccentric

Hollywood stars think they can successfully domesticate. In fact, these breeds are inter-bred on the basis of their size but often grow to the full-size of any other pig.

Pedigree breeds are, on the contrary, a better bet - and the dimensions to which they grow are rather more predictable.

Domestic breeds can include the Middle White, Gloucester Old Spot, Berkshire and Welsh for those solely interested in meat, or more versatile breeds like the Kune Kune, adopted by Jason and family.

The breed may look a little less pleasing than their pink counterparts, but in Jason and Jasper's experience, darker breeds yield a tastier meat with an excellent marbling of fat. Kune Kune pigs also have excellent temperaments and will quickly warm to their owners.

"They're quite tame." he says. "We have to remember that they're being bred for meat, and try to stop ourselves becoming too attached to them. They're not named - we just refer to them as 'big pig and 'little pig' - but we're happy to give them a stroke when we feed them, and they'll happily sit when told to, if you've an apple in your hand."

First things first then; to be legally compliant, it's essential to to apply to DEFRA for a County Parish Holding number. Once registered, you can legally obtain livestock and will be assigned a Herd Number.

Each of Jason's pigs - multiple animals is recommended as pigs are sociable animals and tend to become lonely - cost less than £50. The family anticipates having five or six by next month. Next comes accommodation. Pig arks cost less than £200, and though 6m2x6m2 is enough per animal, more room is always desirable.

A concrete base in the pen is serviceable, but pigs to enjoy snuffling around, and prefer soft ground.

"Weeded ground is especially ideal." says Jason. "Pigs will voraciously clear grass, nettles or other foliage, and will fertilise the ground brilliantly."

In terms of food, Jason and family feed their pigs a cereal based pellet mix twice a day, purchased for around £8 in 20kg bags.

Traditional wisdom says you can feed pigs kitchen scraps - they'd certainly eat them - but this is something DEFRA strictly prohibits. Any food that has passed through a shop or your kitchen may not be fed to pigs, though food grown on your grounds can.

In terms of veterinary care, Jason has found his Kune Kunes to be reasonably resilient, but he does recommend having a reliable vet with knowledge and experience of pigs at your disposal.

Whilst Jason and the family would describe having pigs as extremely rewarding, it's important to remember that as smallholders you're keeping them for meat.

Jason sends his animals off to slaughter once sufficiently fat. Many breeds are ready at 6-8 months, but Kune Kune pigs are slower growing and are at their best from 12-18 months of age, whereupon they weigh around 100 kilos. Jason calculates that his two Kune Kunes will keep a family of five in pork for six months, with one being sent to a local butcher every six months.

There's certainly more labour involved in keeping pigs than popping to your local farm shop, but in terms of money, keeping pigs isn't that expensive once you've established a smallholding setup. Whilst it's no money saver, Jason and family argues that knowing how their food has been raised, and knowing exactly what their meat has been fed on is extremely important... they also value the  education and respect for food it gives their  children.

"We believe the final product has more flavour." says Jason. "We're can be confident of our animals' welfare and we know they've not been raised in a factory environment."

Keeping livestock isn't for everyone, but for those with the time and space, it can be incredibly rewarding. Jason's courses are unique in that they'll provide would-be smallholders with the inspiration to return to a way of life that has been all but lost in the age of mass-produced food.

"There's another benefit too." reveals Jason. "Our animals produce the best crackling I've ever tasted for my Sunday roast... I can't think of any greater incentive than that!"