Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones is not your typical farmer.
He came to Britain, aged four, from Jamaica in the 1950s with his parents and grew up in inner-city Birmingham.
One of nine siblings living in a two-up-two-down, he found himself retreating to his father's allotment which he called "an oasis away from the misery of my surroundings". And it was there, age 11, that he made a promise to himself that one day he'd own his own farm.
Fast-forward to the late 1990s and he achieved that ambition, buying a place in Devon and so becoming Britain's first black farmer.
Never one to miss a good promotional opportunity - in the intervening period he'd worked in TV and marketing (as well, I should mention, as being kicked out of the army) - Wilfred started selling his products under the attention-grabbing brand name The Black Farmer.
I've been chatting to him this morning because he's just released a new book, the Black Farmer Cookbook.
The publishers describe it as "hearty, earthy food tinged with the warmth and spice of the Caribbean" and it is a sumptuous book, including such recipes as Sweet and Spicy Lamb Meatballs, Cajun Blackened Chicken, Star Anise Pork Belly, Venison Fillet with Pine Nut Stuffing and Cassis Sauce, and Red Snapper Ceviche.
He's obviously encouraging his kids to follow in his entrepreneurial footsteps because he tells me his daughter, Scarlett (who's in the photo with him) is launching a food brand called the Black Farmer's Daughter. And she's only 12.
You'll probably hear more about Wilfred over the coming months, as he'll be fighting the seat of Chippenham in Wiltshire for the Tories in the next general election (I'm told he's a bit of a darling of the local country blue-rinse set).
As for my copy of his new book? Well, I'm planning to cook something from it this weekend - probably the 'shepherd's pie with a twist'. The twist being that it's got a dash of rum in it, which sounds exactly like my sort of cooking.
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