JENNA Jack swapped her high heels for wellies and ditched the office for the open air when she hatched a new venture selling everything needed for keeping chickens in a back garden or allotment.
One year on she shouldn’t be happier with her transformation from high-powered business professional to country bumpkin and is celebrating the first anniversary of her company The Warwickshire Chicken Coop at The Edible Garden Show at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, from tomorrow (Friday) to Sunday.
Jenna, who sells about 200 hens a month from her base at Ettington, near Stratford, will be taking dozens of her pure bred and hybrid hens to the show, the only national event dedicated to grow-your-own.
Jenna said: “We sell our hens to people from all walks of life.
Sometimes they are in their early 30s like me and they want to keep a few chickens as pets, and for the eggs, of course. Others are families or grandparents who buy them for themselves or for their grandchildren.
There is a real mix of people.”
For Jenna, her new life couldn’t be further from her busy marketing career but she has no regrets about swapping the business suits for working outside.
“I’m very happy living as a country bumpkin,” she said.
“I wanted to step out of my busy marketing career and into a profession which explores the good life and self-sufficiency.
“I sometimes miss the human company and having a conversation about TV by the coffee machine but I love the outdoor life. I have always been an animal person and have kept chickens for a number of years now and find them so easy to keep and look after.
“They are a fantastic source of amusement and, of course, fresh eggs. I wanted to combine my business knowledge with doing something I loved and Warwickshire Chicken Coop was born.”
Jenna will be stationed in the Smallholder Marquee at The Edible Garden Show.
The event is bursting with exhibitors, innovative products, chickens, goats and pigs, tasty cookery demonstrations and dynamic talks from a panel of celebrity experts including awardwinning TV presenter James Wong, Gardeners’ Question Time panellist Bob Flowerdew and TV presenter Alys Fowler.
Tickets cost £12 in advance, £15 on the door, with concessions for seniors and children. Call the ticket hotline on 0844 338 8001 or visit theediblegardenshow.co.uk
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