NESTLED on the edge of Dartmoor, Higher Fingle Farm hit the headlines in 2008 when it won a national food prize for its organic duck eggs and the chance to supply them to branches of Waitrose.

What made the venture remarkable was that it was the brainchild of 10-year-old Elsa Amiss, whose parents run the farm in Crockernwell, near Cheriton Bishop. She was thought to be Britain's youngest supermarket food supplier.

Eighteen months on and business is still doing well. The Amiss family used some of their £10,000 prize money to invest in an onsite abattoir and have an army of loyal customers.

Rona and Nevil Amiss have been running the organic Higher Fingle Farm for the past five years and specialise in duck, duck eggs, chicken, beef and lamb.

They live on the 57-acre site with their five children, Elsa, who is now 11, Alfred, nine, Dora, seven, and twins Percy and Harold, five.

The family sells more than 1,000 organic ducks a week. Elsa helps her mother and younger siblings to collect, grade and pack eggs from more than 300 free-range layers.

Alfred fills the boxes with eggs, Dora puts on labels and the twins Percy and Harold collect the eggs.

Rona, 42, said: "Elsa came up with the idea to sell eggs as she wanted to do something which did not involve killing ducks.

"The children helped to design the boxes and they get paid pocket money for helping out at weekends. It is nice to do something as a family."

Eggs aside, the farm sells over 100 ducks for meat a week. It also has 200 organic chickens, 20 cows and 60 sheep — all are free range.

Animal welfare is paramount at Higher Fingle Farm. Rona explained: "All our animals are allowed to roam freely at all times and graze in large open paddocks. They have plenty of access to water and natural shade.

"By leaving them as nature intended, it makes for the finest tasting free-range meat.

"The poultry is always housed at night to deter foxes — their daily waddle back to the field is a great spectacle.

"Our poultry is slow grown and, when slaughtered, dry plucked and hung to ensure the best flavour."

Ducks are a Peking cross-breed and come from a hatchery in Norfolk

"They are a really good breed," said Rona. "They are slow growing and taste very succulent. They don't get massive, but it's quality over quantity."

Rona has discovered that ducks have personalities too.

"Ducks are actually very loveable characters," she said. "They like a cuddle and you can get quite attached."

Rona keeps her birds and animals on a strict organic diet.

"Everything they consume is free of additives and fertilisers," she said.

"We buy them special organic feed, so we know that it is trustworthy.

"It is more expensive to buy, but worth it."

The meat is sold to customers up and down the country. Orders are sent out in a unique woollen packaging. Rona said: "The wool liners are made locally. They are wrapped around the box containing the meat and keep it cold."

Customers are free to stop by at the farm to buy any meat or poultry that is readily available.

"We don't do farmers markets," said Rona. "They tend to be too expensive. But we do community markets in village halls instead, they are smaller and cheaper."

Higher Fingle Farm has stalls at the community markets in Tedburn St Mary, Spreyton, Hittisleigh and Whiddon Down.

The farm's produce is also stocked at Dart's Farm in Topsham and Riverford, in Buckfastleigh.

Chicken is sold to Abel and Cole, a company that produces organic food boxes.

Customers can also buy and order produce from Higher Fingle Farm online.

"Traceability is an important factor with our customers," said Rona. "People like to know where their food has come from.

"We are always happy to answer any questions about the welfare of the animals and the methods we use."

As well as keeping busy helping out with the duck egg business, the children are still testing out new ventures, recently branching out into quails' eggs.

"It is going very well so far," said Rona. "The quails go through stages of laying lots of eggs in one go, followed by a dry spell. But they taste lovely.

"We are discovering that quails have very strange behavioural patterns. They make funny noises and jump about, so are very fitting for the children to sell."

Higher Fingle Farm has its own Twitter account, 'organicduck' , keeping nearly 50 followers updated with farm news and events.

For details, call 01647 281281 or visit www.higherfingle.co.uk.