A Cotswold farmer and an award-winning chef have joined forces to bring the taste of Olde England to a village pub in Shakespeare's country.

Ollie Cripps recently started breeding wild boars at  Agdon Farm in Brailles near Banbury. Now he plans to put one of his animals to the taste test with a  special theme night at The Peacock in Oxhill.

Chef Yvonne Hamlett, whose award-winning meals have earned her a reputation throughout the region, is planning to rustle up a selection of wild boar dishes, including sausages, stews and roasts for an Olde England evening to be held on January 20.

Thirty-three-year-old Ollie, himself a regular at The Peacock, has been breeding pigs since he was a youngster but it is only recently that he decided to branch into wild boar breeding.

With the boars fed on vegetable peelings, barley and apples he says he is now satisfied that the meat produced will become a winner with diners in the area.

"It is like a stronger, darker pork," he explains, "It really is tasty, and with Yvonne adding her own special magic to it I'm sure it will be a big hit.

"She has even been out to look at the boars and see how they are reared. With people wanting to know the history of their food this is an excellent way of getting local meat onto local plates."

Yvonne agrees and is already working on a number of recipes for the evening, which will also see locally-caught venison on the menu.

"I want to remind people just how good locally produced food can be. There will be traditional Old English dishes on offer but I might also experiment a little bit and provide a couple of modern twists on some well-known favourites," she said.