New Environment Minister Ian Pearson visited Brookside Fruits farm shop at Copcut, near Droitwich, to see how a Defra grant has helped this particular project and the local economy.

Janet Saunders helped her mum and stepfather sell local produce from a roadside stall when she was a little girl in the 1950s. In 1978, Mrs Saunders and her husband George set up their own stall and cafe in a layby on the A38 at Copcut. With the help of the Rural Development Service, a Defra grant of just under £20,000 enabled the Saunders to move out of temporary buildings into a modern farm shop with refrigeration to help the business expand.

Local producers of sausages, cheeses, eggs, cakes and locally-pressed fruit juices also sell their produce through the shop. Janet Saunders explained: "Over the years the business has kept growing and we have built a regular clientele. But we were still operating the roadside cafe and shop out of a caravan essentially. This imposed a limit on how much we could sell and what stock we could keep in the store.

"With advice from the Rural Development Service (RDS) and the resultant Defra grant we now have permanent facilities, which have let us expand to meet the demand for locally-sourced produce."

Mr Ian Pearson said: "It's always pleasing to see government money being spent wisely on such a worthwhile venture.

"The Defra grant not only enabled this business to expand, but also benefited the wider local rural economy.

"Four new jobs have been created, the sourcing of local produce limits the use of fuels for food transport.