by Ed Targett

Most politicians get accused of having their noses in the trough.

But Herne and Broomfield parish councillors Andy Harvey and Rob Jones have gone one better: they've bought the trough, the pen and the pigs too.

The enterprising duo have set up a smallholding in Herne where they are raising pigs - and selling the home-reared pork under the Grinning Pig banner.

The two, who are rearing traditional English breeds Berkshires, Saddlebacks and Gloucester Old Spots at their smallholding in Herne, say it could have been a rasher move if they had been ham-fisted.

But with 19 pigs between the two of them, things have been going oinkingly well.

Dad-of-three Mr Harvey, 52, of Margate Road, Broomfield, has two piglets nosing happily around a leafy pen in his back garden.

He said: "It's certainly been a learning curve. The first year we let them get too big, at about 90kg, and the weight ends up being mostly fat.

"Now we know somewhere around 55kg is usually best. They're not organic, but they are free range and as-good-as organic. We don't name them as you don't want to get too attached."

Mr Jones, 47, of Busheyfields Road, said: "The idea started three years ago when we bought a bit of land next to my house and my wife booked us on a pig-keeping course.

"It was just to see if it was something we could manage. When we finished the course we thought we’d definitely give it a go, so we got ourselves registered and got four pigs."

The pigs are butchered in an abattoir in Aylesham and made into pork chops, shoulder and leg joints, plain and sage sausages and plain or smoked bacon.

And the good thing with a pig, they say, is that you can "eat it all apart from the oink".

Mr Harvey said: "Initially the meat was just for friends and family, but people like it so much and know the pigs are well-looked after, so it's got bigger.

"What it boils down to though is we enjoy doing it – and the meat tastes good."